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THE  RIGHT  WAY; 

OR, 


THE  GOSPEL  APPLIED 


TO 


THE  INTERCOURSE  OF  INDIVIDUALS  AND 

NATIONS. 


/ 


BY  REV.  JOSEPH  A.  COLLIER, 


PASTOR  OP  THE  REFORMED  DUTCH  CHURCH,  GENEVA,  N.  Y. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU-STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


A  premium  of  $500,  offered  by  the  late  Rev. 
Thomas  A.  Merrill,  D.  D.,  of  Middlebury,  Vt.,  was 
awarded  to  the  author  of  this  work  by  Rev.  Joseph 
W.  Parker,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Asa  D.  Smith,  D.  D.,  and 
Hon.  William  J.  Hubbard,  judges.  Dr.  Merrill  also 
appropriated  the  further  sum  of  $600,  for  publish¬ 
ing  and  perpetuating  the  volume  in  the  “  Evangeli¬ 
cal  Family  Library  ”  of  the  American  Tract  Society. 


a 


CONTENTS 


PART  I. 

THE  GOSPEL  APPLIED  TO  THE  INTERCOURSE 
OF  INDIVIDUALS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Introductory,  . 7 

CHAPTER  II. 

Duties  relating  to  human  intercourse — 1.  Love  to  our 
neighbor — 2.  Love  to  enemies, . 17 

CHAPTER  III. 

Duties,  continued — 3.  Forgiveness' — 4.  Forbearance — 5. 
Rendering  good  for  evil — 6.  The  Golden  Rule,  .  .  29 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Objections  and  difficulties  considered — 1.  Insulted  hon¬ 
or — 2.  Aggravated  cases  of  injury — 3.  Exposure  to  yet 
greater  injuries — 4.  Difficulties  attending  the  practice  of 
the  gospel  method, . 49 

CHAPTER  V 

Motives  to  the  right  way — 1.  Personal  policy — 2.  Our 
own  liability  to  offend — 3.  Our  need  of  the  divine  for¬ 
giveness — 4.  Its  happy  influence  upon  the  cause  of 


4 


CONTENTS. 


Christ — 5.  The  divine  example — 6.  The  divine  com¬ 
mand,  . 69 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Application  of  the  right  way — 1.  To  the  family — 2.  To 
the  neighborhood — 3.  To  the  church, . 87 


PART  II. 

THE  GOSPEL  APPLIED  TO  THE  INTERCOURSE 

OF  NATIONS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

National  intercourse — Its  necessity — Its  perversion — The 
gospel  applicable  to  nations  equally  with  individuals,  111 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  evils  of  war — 1.  Its  waste  of  property — 2.  Its  moral 
effects — 3.  Its  destruction  of  domestic  happiness,  .  122 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Evils  of  war,  continued — 4.  Its  personal  sufferings — 5.  Its 
loss  of  life — 6.  Its  destruction  of  souls — 7.  Its  obstacles 
to  the  spread  of  the  gospel, . 154 

CHAPTER  X. 

Pleas  for  war  considered — 1.  National  redress — 2.  Dan¬ 
gers  of  a  pacific  policy — 3.  Self-defence — 4.  Custom — 5. 
Honor — 6.  Patriotism — 7.  Plea  from  the  Bible,  .  .  189 

CHAPTER  XI. 

War  tested  by  reason — 1.  War  unnecessary — 2.  War  un¬ 
reasonable — 3.  War  unjust — 4.  War  inhuman — 5.  War 
inefficacious— 6.  War  inglorious, . 212 


CONTENTS. 


5 


CHAPTER  XII 

War  tested  by  the  gospel,  or  war  unchristian — Op¬ 
posed  to :  1.  The  law  of  love — 2.  Forgiveness — 3.  For¬ 
bearance — 4.  Rendering  good  for  evil — 5.  The  Golden 
Rule, . 234 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  substitute  for  war — Arbitration — Its  principle — 
Testimony  in  its  favor — Its  difficulties  considered — Its 
advantages, . 247 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  blessings  of  peace,  and  the  means  of  securing  it — 
1.  Favorable  to  national  prosperity — 2.  To  morality  and 
religion — 3.  To  domestic  happiness — 4.  To  the  spread  of 
the  gospel  —  Practicability  of  peace  —  How  to  be  se¬ 
cured,  . 260 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  future  triumph  of  peace  —  Inferred  from  promised 
success  of  the  gospel — Prophecies  respecting  it — Their 
design — Incentives  to  hope — Incentives  to  duty,  .  .275 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Concluding  appeal — 1.  Seek  for  a  personal  conformity  to 
the  gospel — 2.  Influence  others  to  obey  it — 3.  Aim  at 
national  peace — Appeal  to  rulers — To  citizens — To  phi¬ 
lanthropists — To  the  young — To  women — To  ministers — 
To  Christians, . 288 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


PART  I. 

THE  GOSPEL  APPLIED  TO  THE  INTERCOURSE 
OF  INDIVIDUALS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Suppose  we  were  gifted  with  the  power  of 
beholding  at  a  glance  the  whole  family  of  man, 
and  of  penetrating  into  all  those  mysterious 
relations  and  connections  which  exist  between 
its  different  members,  what  a  wonderful  specta¬ 
cle  would  present  itself.  W e  should  see  about 
a  thousand  millions  of  human  beings,  all  more 
or  less  associated  with  and  dependent  upon  one 
another,  each  contributing  his  share  to  the  com¬ 
mon  happiness  or  misery,  and  each  in  turn  re- 


8 


THE  RiaHT  WAY. 


ceiving  a  certain  proportion  of  both  from  oth¬ 
ers.  We  should  see  them  all  connected  by  those 
various  ties  of  kindred,  friendship,  business, 
neighborhood,  and  country,  which,  perpetually 
interlacing  one  another,  are  spread  like  network 
over  the  whole  earth.  Beginning  with  the  first 
and  most  sacred  of  all  social  institutions,  the 
family,  we  should  discover  radiating  from  it 
circle  after  circle  of  human  companionship, 
each  extending  wider  than  the  last,  until  all 
are  bounded  by  that  one  which  engirdles  the 
globe  itself,  the  great  brotherhood  of  man. 

If  we  here  suspended  our  gaze,  and  paused 
to  reflect  upon  this  wonderful  arrangement  of 
divine  Providence,  our  thoughts  might  be  such 
as  these.  What  an  admirable  display  of  infi¬ 
nite  wisdom !  What  a  merciful  provision  of 
our  good  Creator  for  the  welfare  of  his  crea¬ 
tures  !  But  are  these  beings  adapted  to  the 
proper  improvement  and  enjoyment  of  such  a 
blessing  ?  We  see  that  in  some  respects  they 
are.  They  are  endowed  with  fine  affections 
and  tender  sympathies,  which  are  capable  of 
conferring  the  most  exquisite  pleasure,  and 
which  their  very  relations  to  one  another  are 
fitted  to  cultivate  and  strengthen.  If,  then, 


INTRODUCTORY. 


9 


they  are  governed  by  these  better  instincts  of 
their  nature ;  if  they  delight  in  the  constant 
exercise  of  good  will,  and  the  constant  inter¬ 
change  of  kind  actions,  their  companionship 
must  perpetually  foster  their  warm  affections, 
and  these  in  turn  must  add  a  charm  to  all  their 
intercourse,  and  they  cannot  be  otherwise  than 
happy.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  they  crush  these 
kindly  dispositions,  and  habitually  cherish  en¬ 
mity  or  resentment  instead  of  love,  then  these 
many-linked  ties  are  converted  from  a  blessing 
into  a  curse ;  for  then  they  must  be  the  means 
of  nurturing  foul  passions,  which  grow  by  exer¬ 
cise,  and  greatly  imbitter  men’s  companionship. 
The  proportion  in  which  the  one  or  the  other  of 
these  principles  prevails ,  is  the  measure  of  the  good 
or  evil  results  of  human  intercourse. 

Confining  our  attention  for  the  present  to  the 
sphere  of  ordinary  social  life,  let  us  ask,  What 
are  the  principles  that  commonly  govern,  and 
the  good  or  evil  results  that  commonly  attend 
our  intercourse  as  individuals  ? 

We  have  only  to  contemplate  the  surface 
of  society,  to  discover  that  many  are  actuated 
not  by  kindly  and  loving  dispositions,  but 
by  those  that  are  selfish  and  unloving ;  and 


10 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


that  thus  those  very  relations  which  are  de¬ 
signed  for  our  mutual  good,  are  frequently 
turned  into  instruments  of  mutual  wretched¬ 
ness.  We  see  many  yielding  without  shame  to 
the  violence  of  angry  passions.  We  see  friend¬ 
ships  blighted  and  consumed  with  their  fierce 
heat,  fond  ties  cruelly  rent  asunder,  now  a  warm 
heart  broken  to  appease  them,  and  now  a  val¬ 
ued  life  cut  down  as  their  sacrifice.  They  array 
man  against  man,  neighbor  against  neighbor, 
and  brother  against  brother  in  wordy  battle, 
and  at  times  in  fatal  conflict.  It  is  indeed  fre¬ 
quently  the  case  that  the  nearer  the  relation 
and  the  stronger  the  tie,  the  more  hotly  burn 
these  flames  in  one  or  another  of  their  forms, 
scathing  both  the  bosom  that  cherishes  them 
and  those  who  may  be  their  immediate  objects. 

This  evil  is  almost  as  wide-spread  as  human¬ 
ity  itself.  We  often  discover  it  in  the  family, 
destroying  its  peace,  causing  alienated  hearts 
and  estranged  affections,  and  turning  that  inner 
sanctuary  of  human  love  into  an  abode  of  un¬ 
happy  discord.  We  see  it  in  the  school ,  which 
in  this  respect,  as  in  so  many  others,  is  a  faith¬ 
ful  picture  of  the  active  world.  We  see  it  in 
the  neighborhood ,  casting  its  blight  over  the 


INTRODUCTORY. 


11 


sweet  influences  of  social  life,  and  sowing  broad¬ 
cast  the  seeds  of  dissension.  We  see  it  in  the 
more  general  intercourse  of  men,  as  they  min¬ 
gle  in  the  busy  mart  and  in  scenes  of  daily 
enterprise  and  labor.  We  see  it  in  the  church, 
disgracing  the  cause  of  Christ  and  impeding 
pious  effort,  by  arraying  in  opposition  those 
who  should  know  only  a  common  sympathy. 
Wherever  man  is  found,  and  under  whatever 
circumstances  or  relations,  his  companionship 
is  liable  to  be  imbittered  by  strife. 

Now  why  do  we  thus  suffer?  Why  do  so 
many  hearts  thus  bleed  and  break,  and  so  many 
lives  become  thus  saddened?  Must  we  regard 
this  evil  as  a  necessary  element  of  our  exist¬ 
ence — a  part  of  our  endowment  by  the  Creator  ? 
No  ;  we  cannot  justly  charge  it  upon  God,  nor 
upon  any  other  than  ourselves.  We  need  not 
search  far  to  discover  its  cause.  The  very  ex¬ 
istence  of  so  dire  a  curse  sufficiently  indicates 
some  vast  error,  of  which  this  is  the  necessary 
fruit  and  penalty.  If  we  look  a  little  further, 
we  shall  behold  that  error  in  the  practice  of 
the  wrong  way  of  conducting  intercourse  and 
settling  differences.  This  is  the  secret  of  the 
terrible  woe  in  every  one  of  its  forms.  It  ac- 


12 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


counts  for  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  the  battle¬ 
field,  and  for  the  petty  quarrel  that  vexes  its 
two  or  three  angry  disputants ;  for  the  blow 
which  is  murder  in  the  sight  of  the  law,  and 
for  much  of  that  secret  hate  which  is  murder 
in  the  sight  of  God. 

Differences  must  necessarily  occur  among 
men.  As  long  as  human  nature  is  in  its  pres¬ 
ent  state,  we  cannot  expect  to  see  a  perfect  har¬ 
mony  of  views  and  feelings.  We  are  so  consti¬ 
tuted  that  all  cannot  behold  a  subject  in  the 
same  light,  nor  honestly  coincide  in  the  same 
opinions.  But  is  it  therefore  necessary  that 
there  be  strife  and  bloodshed  ?  Must  men  per¬ 
sist  in  blinding  themselves  to  reason,  and  to 
all  the  better  feelings  of  their  nature,  because 
of  these  differences  with  one  another? 

Let  us  view  it  candidly  and  dispassionately. 
A  man  conceives  himself  injured  by  an  angry 
word.  Immediately  the  hot  blood  boils,  fierce 
passions  burn  within  him,  the  indignant  re¬ 
tort  quickly  follows,  and  bitterest  feelings  are 
aroused  upon  both  sides.  If  reason,  conscience, 
or  experience  utter  their  voice,  their  appeals 
are  lost  in  the  clamors  of  the  one  overmaster¬ 
ing  passion  which  now  like  a  tyrant  possesses 


INTRODUCTORY. 


13 


the  whole  souls  and  bodies  of  its  victims.  Each 
strives  to  surpass  the  other  in  the  harshness  of 
his  invectives,  until  a  wide  breach  is  formed 
between  them,  and  they  perhaps  try  to  decide 
their  differences  with  blows.  Now  is  this  the 
Right  Way ,  which  thus  answers  passion  with  pas¬ 
sion,  wrong  with  wrong,  and  blow  with  blow  ; 
which,  because  the  one  party  is  beside  himself, 
converts  the  other  for  the  moment  into  a  vol¬ 
untary  madman,  and  which  permits  the  most 
endearing  ties  to  be  sundered  by  an  inconsid¬ 
erate  word  or  casual  error  ?  Does  it  not  rather 
prove  itself  by  all  its  tendencies,  by  its  bitter 

fruits,  which  have  so  filled  the  world  with  mis- 

/ 

ery,  and  by  its  own  very  nature,  to  be  emphat¬ 
ically  the  wrong  way  ? 

We  would  especially  view  it  as  a  way  that 
is  morally  wrong,  or  as  constituting  not  only  an 
evil  to  ourselves,  but  a  sin  against  God.  In 
proof  of  this  we  shall  appeal  to  an  authority  that 
is  far  above  all  worldly  custom,  or  the  dictates 
of  any  merely  human  rule  of  duty — the  revealed 
will  of  God.  The  precepts  we  shall  present  are 
the  irrepealable  edicts  of  the  great  Lawgiver 
of  the  universe  ;  and  we  cannot  evade  them  on 
account  of  their  seeming  difficulties,  unpopular- 


14 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ity,  or  distastefulness.  The  commands,  “  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,”  “  Love  your 
enemies,”  “  Resist  not  evil,”  and  the  many  oth¬ 
ers  of  similar  import,  have  as  strong  a  claim 
upon  our  obedience  as  the  commands,  “Thou 
shalt  not  kill,”  “Thou  shalt  not  steal,”  etc. 
Indeed,  they  are  in  effect  the  same  laws ;  for 
“  whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer,” 
1  John  3:15,  and  “love  is  the  fulfilling  of 
the  law.”  Rom.  13  : 10.  If,  then,  there  is  any 
obligation  in  religion — if  God’s  revealed  will, 
and  not  our  perverse  inclination,  is  the  rule  of 
human  duty,  and  if  we  are  to  be  judged  by  that 
rule  according  to  our  deeds,  with  what  solemn 
weight  these  precepts  are  invested !  How  au¬ 
thoritative  their  every  word  and  syllable.  How 
awful  their  binding  power,  how  terrible  their 
penalties.  Let  us  bring  to  their  consideration 
hearts  humbly  obedient  and  docile,  and  pre¬ 
pared  to  accept,  as  our  plain  guide  to  duty,  the 
whole  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  gospel  of  Christ  is  eminently  practical. 
While  addressing  itself  to  man  as  he  is,  it  also 
reveals  to  us  man  as  he  ought  to  he.  Its  precepts 
are  exactly  adapted  to  our  nature  and  circum¬ 
stances,  and  are  capable  of  application  to  our 


INTRODUCTORY. 


15 


ordinary,  every-day  life.  As  we  now  consider 
a  few  of  those  relating  to  human  intercourse, 
we  shall  see  that  they  present  the  only  practi¬ 
cable  method  of  relief  from  the  evils  that  sur¬ 
round  us.  As  one  by  one  they  unfold  to  our 
view  in  all  their  sublimity  and  loveliness,  let 
us  adore  the  wisdom  that  has  framed,  and  the 
grace  that  has  revealed  them ;  and  let  us  re¬ 
gard  them  in  their  true  character,  as  not  only 
beautiful  in  theory,  but  most  divinely  beautiful 
in  practice. 

The  gospel  views  man  as  sustaining  relations 
both  to  God  and  to  his  fellow-men.  It  clearly 
defines  those  relations,  and  points  out  the  du¬ 
ties  growing  from  them.  It  applies  itself,  first 
of  all,  to  the  regulation  of  our  intercourse  with 
God.  To  this  end,  it  corrects  the  erroneous 
views  of  Him  which  are  generally  entertained, 
condemns  the  false  and  prescribes  the  true  mode 
of  worship,  and  while  teaching  the  utter  useless¬ 
ness  of  every  other  way  of  seeking  his  favor, 
reveals,  in  Him  who  is  “  the  way,  the  truth,  and 
the  life/7  the  Right  Way.  Having  done  this,  it 
proceeds  to  regulate  our  intercourse  with  one 
another.  Here,  too,  it  opposes  itself  to  the 
false  maxims  that  govern  the  world  at  large, 


16 


*  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


and  pointedly  denounces  many  errors  which 
have  become  interwoven  with  the  very  texture 
of  society.  It  shows  us  the  glaring  evils  of 
that  wrong  way  which  is  ordinarily  practised, 
and  reveals  and  inculcates  the  right  way. 

That  right  way  it  is  the  design  of  the  pres¬ 
ent  volume  to  unfold. 


LOVE  TO  OUR  NEIGHBOR. 


17 


CHAPTER  II. 

DUTIES  RELATING  TO  HUMAN  INTERCOURSE. 

I.  Love  to  our  neighbor.  The  one  great 
principle  of  the  gospel,  and  one  which  is  at  the 
same  time,  “  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,”  is  love. 
This  duty  is  variously  expressed  in  the  teach¬ 
ings  of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  Now  it  is 
called  a  love  to  our  neighbor,  now  a  love  to 
the  brethren,  and  now  a  love  to  enemies.  It 
is  represented  under  such  names  as  “charity,” 
“  long-suffering,”  “  meekness,”  “  patience,”  “  for¬ 
bearance,”  “forgiveness,”  and  “peace  with  all 
men.”  These  different  terms  go  to  prove  its 
universal  character,  and  present  some  of  its 
phases  which  might  otherwise  be  overlooked 
by  us.  They  each  form  a  part  of  that  “royal 
law”  which  embraces  every  duty  of  man  to 
man,  “  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.” 
Matt.  22  : 89. 

The  best  commentary  upon  this  precept,  is 
that  afforded  by  its  Author.  In  his  beautiful 
parable  of  the  “  good  Samaritan,”  our  Lord 
for  ever  answers  the  question,  “Who  is  my 

Right  Way.  2 


18 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


neighbor?”  Luke  10  :  30-37.  He  there  teaches 
us  that  an  alien,  and  even  an  enemy,  is  our 
neighbor ;  that  such  an  one,  in  distress,  has  a 
claim  upon  our  compassionate,  self-denying 
love  ;  in  short,  that  every  human  being ,  whoever 
and  whatever  he  may  be,  has  an  undoubted 
right  to  our  affection  and  our  sympathy. 

This  demand  may  appear  to  some  a  severe 
one.  What,  it  may  be  asked,  must  our  affec¬ 
tions  go  out  as  well  to  the  stranger  as  to  the 
intimate  companion ;  to  the  inhabitant  of  a 
distant  clime  as  well  as  to  the  beloved  ones 
about  us?  Some  may  be  disposed  to  scout 
such  a  requirement  as  absurd  and  impractica¬ 
ble.  Let  us,  however,  look  for  a  moment  at 
its  justness. 

What  is  it,  we  ask,  that  renders  anv  human 
being  an  object  of  regard  ?  It  is  the  supposed 
existence  of  amiable  qualities  in  the  object,  or 
else  the  fact  that  there  are  certain  natural  ties 
between  us.  Look,  for  instance,  at  the  family. 
All  must  admit  that  the  relations  subsisting 
between  its  members  afford  a  reason  for  the 
exercise  of  mutual  affection  between  them. 
Applying  this  principle  to  mankind  in  general, 
will  it  not  equally  hold  good  ?  What  is  our 


LOVE  TO  OUR  NEIGHBOR. 


19 


race  but  one  vast  family,  descended  from  a 
common  parent,  occupying  a  common  home, 
similar  in  general  character,  tastes,  and  pur¬ 
suits,  and  greatly  dependent  upon  one  another 
for  the  most  ordinary  comforts  of  life  ?  “  Have 
we  not  all  one  Father  ?  hath  not  one  God  cre¬ 
ated  us?”  Mai.  2  :10.  It  is  both  our  fault 
and  our  misfortune  that  we  have  sadly  lost 
sight  of  this  relationship,  and  too  frequently 
look  for  some  conventional  or  social  bond  to 
regulate  the  outgoings  of  kindly  feeling.  As 
if  God  had  implanted  within  us  these  fine  af¬ 
fections  for  blessing  only  a  select  circle  of 
chosen  friends  ;  or  as  if  our  hearts  were  inca¬ 
pable  of  embracing  any  more  than  a  certain 
limited  number  of  their  fellow-hearts!  Many 
live  and  act  as  if  they  had  been  gifted  with 
but  few  and  feeble  affections,  and  were  fearful 
of  extending  them  too  widely,  lest  they  should 
all  be  lost.  Yet  so  far  from  this  being  the 
case,  it  will  be  found  true  of  our  heart’s  wealth, 
as  well  as  of  our  gold  and  silver,  that  “there  is 
that  scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth ;  and  there 
is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it 
tendeth  to  poverty.”  Prov.  11  :  24.  We  know 
not  our  own  hearts,  nor  the  powers  of  expan- 


20 


THE  RIGrHT  WAY. 


sion  with  which  God  has  endowed  them.  If 
men  would  but  cultivate  them,  as  they  do  their 
minds  and  bodies,  they  would  prove  capable  of 
embracing  in  their  large  charities  and  sympa¬ 
thies,  all  mankind. 

This  required  love  is  nowhere  limited  as  to 
its  objects.  The  gospel  makes  no  distinctions, 
and  not  only  does  not  exclude,  but  expressly 
includes  the  enemy,  the  persecutor,  and  the 
vile.  We  are  to  love  not  merely  the  friend, 
the  benefactor,  or  the  amiable,  but  the  fellow- 
mortal ,  the  member  of  the  human  family.  And 
the  reasons  of  this  love  are  to  be  found  not 
merely  in  favors  received,  or  qualities  admired, 
but  in  the  divinely  ordained  relations  of  man 
to  man,  and  in  plain,  simple  duty,  as  prescribed 
in  the  gospel.  To  him  who  takes  this  high, 
scriptural  view  of  his  obligations,  every  man 
is  in  some  degree  an  object  of  love.  Upon 
seeing  one  who  wears  the  human  form  in  need 
of  kindness,  he  unhesitatingly  bestows  it,  stop¬ 
ping  not  to  ask  his  name,  his  country,  or  his 
creed.  He  is  a  man ,  and  therefore  a  neighbor , 
and  his  warm  heart  needs  know  no  more  to 
impel  him  to  do  his  utmost  to  relieve  and  cheer 
him. 


LOVE  TO  OUR  NEIGHBOR. 


21 


This  “royal  law’7  stops  not  with  prescrib¬ 
ing  the  objects  of  our  love :  it  clearly  defines 
its  measure.  It  would  be  interesting  to  learn 
the  precise  guide  which  different  minds  would 
assign  to  regulate  its  strength.  One  would 
say,  we  must  be  governed  by  our  own  inclina¬ 
tions  ;  another,  by  the  deserts  of  the  object ; 
another,  by  his  necessities.  Never,  in  all  the 
highest  conceptions  of  human  benevolence, 
would  any  have  attained  to  the  precept  afford¬ 
ed  by  our  Lord,  “Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh¬ 
bor  as  thyself”  He  thus  makes  our  self-love 
to  be  our  guide  in  loving  others.  If  ever 
at  a  loss  to  know  how  much  of  sympathy  or 
regard  we  ought  to  cherish  towards  a  fellow- 
man,  our  doubts  may  be  removed  by  glancing 
within  ourselves,  and  estimating  the  strength 
of  that  principle  of  self-love  which  we  all  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree  possess.  There  is  no 
danger  that,  with  this  for  our  standard,  we 
shall  exercise  too  large  a  charity  for  others. 
It  may,  however,  be  urged  that  a  strict  obedi¬ 
ence  to  this  precept  is  extremely  difficult,  if  not 
impossible.  This  sad  truth  should  only  drive 
us  to  Him  who  has  for  us  “fulfilled  all  right¬ 
eousness.77  Yet  the  justness  and  obligation  of 


22 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


a  divine  command  does  not  depend  upon  our 
power  literally  to  fulfil  it.  Are  we  absolved 
from  the  duty  of  loving  God  because  we  cannot 
love  him  with  “all”  our  “heart/7  and  “soul/7 
and  “strength/7  and  “mind?77 

As  Christ  has  shown  the  objects  and  the 
measure  of  this  love,  so  Paul  has  defined  its 
nature.  The  word  “charity/7  in  the  following 
passage,  is  strictly  synonymous  with  love. 
“  Charity  suffereth  long,  and  is  kind ;  charity 
envieth  not  ;  charity  vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not 
puffed  up,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly, 
seeketh  not  her  own,  is  not  easily  provoked, 
thinketh  no  evil ;  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but 
rejoiceth  in  the  truth ;  beareth  all  things,  be¬ 
lie  veth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth 
all  things.77  1  Cor.  13  :  4-7. 

We  have  only  to  consider  this  law  op 
love,  and  trace  it  to  its  consequences,  to  see 
that  it  tends  inevitably  to  the  preservation  of 
harmony  among  men.  They  who  honestly 
obey  it  will  be  linked  together  by  a  bond 
which  even  the  widest  diversities  of  sentiment, 
or  the  most  provoking  acts  of  injury  cannot 
sever.  Where  this  love  is  in  the  heart,  the 
word  of  resentment  cannot  linger  upon  the 


LOVE  TO  OUR  NEIGHBOR. 


23 


tongue,  and  the  purpose  of  revenge,  even  if 
momentarily  aroused,  cannot  ripen  into  delib¬ 
erate  action.  The  bitter  retort  that  trembles 
on  the  lip  gives  place  to  the  “soft  answer,” 
that  “  turneth  away  wrath  ;”  and  the  flashing 
eye  and  menacing  aspect  are  lost  in  the  look 
of  kindness  and  benevolence.  The  quarrel  is 
avoided,  hearts  that  were  on  the  eve  of  sunder¬ 
ing  are  knit  yet  more  closely  together,  and 
love  achieves  the  triumph  over  hatred,  and 
right  over  wrong.  This  principle  transforms 
the  lion  into  the  lamb,  the  vulture  into  the 
dove,  the  brutal,  the  degraded,  and  the  unlov¬ 
ing  into  beings  all  sympathy  and  tenderness, 
and  all  glowing  with  the  noblest  instincts  of 
humanity.  Where  it  has  been  deeply  implant¬ 
ed  by  God’s  grace — and  it  is  only  there  that  it 
can  fully  and  permanently  abide — it  assimilates 
man  to  the  angels  ;  nay,  to  Christ  himself,  who 
so  loved  us  as  to  give  himself  for  us,  and  to 
that  Spirit  whose  richest  fruits  are  “  love  ”  and 
“peace,”  and  to  God,  who  “is  love.” 

Many  theories  have  been  invented  by  men 
for  the  world’s  regeneration.  One  plan  after 
another,  having  for  its  object  the  perfection  of 
our  nature,  has  been  in  turn  advanced  and 


24 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


abandoned.  Upon  far  higher  than  human  au¬ 
thority,  we  present  as  the  grand  means  for  the 
elevation  of  our  race,  this  law  of  love.  It  is 
only  in  proportion  as  men  are  governed  by  it, 
that  they  can  arise  to  their  true  worth  and 
dignity  in  the  scale  of  being.  For  he  who  is 
not  freed  from  the  thraldom  of  angry  passions, 
is  little  else  than  a  slave ;  while  he  who  is  sub¬ 
ject  to  this  law  of  love,  which  is  the  law  of  lib¬ 
erty,  has  acquired  the  true  self-mastery,  and 
has  attained,  or  is  attaining  the  real  nobility  of 
man.  To  him,  life  is  beautiful  in  its  varied 
opportunities  for  kindness,  and  its  numberless 
exercises  of  delightful  affection.  Man  acquires 
a  new  interest  in  his  eyes,  and  God  becomes 
more  than  ever  the  object  of  happy  contempla¬ 
tion  ;  for  he  beholds  mirrored  in  his  own  peace¬ 
ful  soul  the  loving  smile  of  Jehovah,  the  author 
and  true  end  of  every  benevolent  emotion. 
Viewing  this  law,  then,  in  all  its  length  and 
breadth,  as  requiring  love  to  God  and  man — 
to  God  first,  and  then  through  him  and  for  him 
to  man — it  is  to  do  more  for  the  advancement 
of  our  race  than  all  human  means  combined. 
As  it  becomes  more  and  more  prevalent,  it  will 
be  found  to  effect,  by  its  gradual  workings,  a 


LOVE  TO  ENEMIES. 


25 


thorough  renovation  of  society.  It  will  con¬ 
quer  pride,  selfishness,  and  passion,  uproot 
prejudice,  disarm  enmity  and  resentment,  cause 
kind  feelings  and  generous  sympathies  to  ani¬ 
mate  every  bosom,  and  conduct  the  world  to 
its  millennium  of  peace. 

Such  are  to  be,  under  God,  the  glorious  re¬ 
sults  of  a  universal  obedience  to  this  law.  It 
is  for  us  to  do  our  part  towards  hastening  such 
a  consummation,  first,  by  conforming  our  own 
hearts  and  lives  to  it,  and  then  by  publishing  it 
to  others,  as  well  by  the  power  of  a  beautiful 
example,  as  by  direct  efforts.  Every  reader  of 
this  volume  may  thus  become,  in  however  hum¬ 
ble  a  sphere,  the  means  of  extending  the  tri¬ 
umph  of  the  gospel  of  peace. 

II.  Love  to  enemies.  We  have  seen  that 
the  law  of  love  applies  as  well  to  enemies 
as  friends.  Were  there  no  special  command 
upon  the  subject,  we  might  still  deduce  from 
that  general  duty  the  particular  one  of  loving 
our  enemies  and  persecutors.  To  leave  no 
room  for  doubt,  however,  it  is  urged  in  many 
distinct  precepts,  and  occupies  a  prominent 
place  in  the  religion  of  Jesus.  In  that  epito¬ 
me  of  religious  duty,  the  sermon  on  the  mount, 


26 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


our  Lord  says,  “Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath 
been  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and 
hate  thine  enemy ;  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your 
enemies  ”  etc.  Matt.  5  : 43,  44.  This  precept 
conveys  to  every  candid  mind  but  one  signifi¬ 
cation.  It  can  be  understood  in  no  other  way 
than  as  exhorting  us  to  check  all  feelings  of 
resentment,  and  to  cherish  instead  of  them 
those  of  forbearance  and  good  will.  It  stands 
opposed  to  all  malice,  enmity,  and  even  bitter¬ 
ness  of  feeling  ;  to  an  irascible  disposition  ;  to 
an  unloving,  unforgiving  spirit ;  to  the  passion¬ 
ate  retort,  the  hasty  word  of  abuse  or  blow,  the 
sullen,  distant  demeanor,  and  the  deliberate 
persecution.  It  is  equally  plain,  that  to  love 
an  enemy  is  to  cherish  a  hearty  affection  tow¬ 
ards  him,  and  to  desire  and  seek  his  happiness. 
It  is,  as  far  as  possible,  to  regard  him  with  the 
same  feelings,  and  treat  him  with  the  same 
kindness  and  consideration  that  we  do  our 
friends ;  to  forgive  his  injurious  conduct,  and 
to  aim  at,  and  if  possible,  effect  a  reconciliation 
with  him. 

He  who  obeys  this  precept  will  fight,  not 
against  his  adversary,  but  against  his  own  re¬ 
bellious  heart,  and  will  try  to  crush,  not  the 


LOVE  TO  ENEMIES. 


27 


offender,  but  those  emotions  of  hatred  or  aver¬ 
sion  with  which  he  is  tempted  to  regard  him. 
He  will  studiously  repress  every  feeling  of  an¬ 
ger,  will  subdue  his  countenance,  his  voice,  his 
eye,  his  gestures,  and  his  whole  manner  into 
the  expression  of  tender  regard,  and  will  reso¬ 
lutely  seal  his  lips  against  every  utterance  save 
a  blessing  or  a  prayer.  He  will  try  to  behold 
in  his  antagonist  a  man,  a  brother,  whom  God 
bids  him  love  ;  will  charitably  overlook  his  bad 
qualities,  and  seek  out  and  admire  his  good 
ones,  and  will  strive  to  discover,  behind  all  his 
offences,  something  still  deserving  of  his  affec¬ 
tion  and  sympathy. 

The  two  precepts  which  we  have  now  con¬ 
sidered  afford  the  fundamental  principle  of  all 
others  relating  to  human  intercourse.  As  love 
is  “  the  fulfilling  of  the  law/’  so  it  alone  can 
inspire  an  acceptable  obedience  to  any  of  the 
precepts  of  the  gospel.  Let  this  be  borne  in 
mind  as  we  now  notice  some  of  the  required 
manifestations  of  that  love.  Let  them  be 
viewed  as  only  the  various  streams  of  which 
love  is  the  fountain,  or  as  the  diverging  rays 
of  which  love  is  the  central  sun.  By  thus  re¬ 
garding  them,  we  shall  possess  the  clue  to  their 


28 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


meaning,  and  the  secret  of  their  fulfilment. 
With  this  general  law  clearly  before  us,  the 
particular  precepts  of  the  gospel  will  develope 
harmoniously  to  our  view,  and  we  shall  be  the 
better  fitted  to  comprehend  and  practise  them. 


FORGIVENESS. 


29 


CHAPTER  III. 

DUTIES  RELATING  TO  HUMAN  INTERCOURSE- 

CONTINUED. 

III.  Forgiveness.  The  question  naturally 
occurs,  how  is  the  required  love  to  enemies  to 
be  exhibited?  What  are  the  prescribed  fruits 
and  evidences  of  its  existence?  We  learn  from 
the  teachings  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  that 
one  of  the  first  and  most  important  duties  tow¬ 
ards  an  offender  is  forgiveness. 

In  that  prayer  which  our  Lord  has  left  on 
record  for  his  disciples  of  every  age,  our  for¬ 
giveness  of  one  another  is  closely  connected 
with  that  which  we  ask  of  God.  He  teaches 
us  to  pray,  “  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  for¬ 
give  our  debtors.”  In  order  still  further  to 
impress  our  minds  with  its  importance,  he  adds, 
“  For,  if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your 
heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you ;  but  if 
ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will 
your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses.”  Matt. 
6  : 12,  14,  15.  Of  a  similar  import  are  the  fol- 


30 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


lowing  :  “  If  thy  brother  trespass  against  thee, 
rebuke  him  ;  and  if  he  repent,  forgive  him. 
And  if  he  trespass  against  thee  seven  times  in 
a  day,  and  seven  times  in  a  day  turn  again  to 
thee,  saying,  I  repent ;  thou  shalt  forgive  him.” 
Luke  17  : 3,  4.  “Put  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect 
of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies, 
kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  meekness,  long- 
suffering  ;  forbearing  one  another,  and  forgiving 
one  another,  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against 
any :  even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also  do 
ye.”  Col.  3  : 12,  13.  “Be  ye  kind  to  one  an¬ 
other,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one  another, 
even  as  God  for  Christ’s  sake  hath  forgiven 
you.”  Epli.  4  :  32. 

To  forgive  an  offence  is  to  overlook  or  remit 
it,  and  to  regard  and  treat  the  offender  as  if 
he  were  not  guilty.  Such  is  the  meaning  that 
we  attach  to  it  in  the  petition,  “Forgive  us  our 
debts,”  and  such  no  doubt  we  must  consider  it 
when  we  add,  “  as  we  forgive  our  debtors.”  It 
is,  as  far  as  possible,  to  cherish  towards  an  en¬ 
emy  such  feelings,  and  so  to  conduct  ourselves 
towards  him  as  if  he  had  not  injured  us.  It  is 
to  treat  him  as  we  would  have  God  treat  us. 
Every  Christian  knows  what  is  meant  by  for- 


FORGIVENESS. 


31 


giveness,  as  displayed  by  God  towards  the  sin¬ 
ner.  It  means  the  same  when  exercised  by 
man  towards  man,  and  implies  the  overlooking 
of  an  offence,  the  withholding  of  punishment 
from  the  offender,  and  the  bestowment  upon 
him  of  favors  of  which  his  conduct  has  ren¬ 
dered  him  seemingly  unworthy. 

This  duty  is  not  fulfilled  by  a  merely  out¬ 
ward  reconciliation,  nor  by  that  absurd  para¬ 
dox  with  which  some  try  to  compromise  be¬ 
tween  their  religion  and  their  anger — “  I  will 
forgive,  but  never  forget/7  When  truly  cher¬ 
ished,  it  flows  from  the  heart,  and  is  a  free,  ir¬ 
repressible  manifestation  of  love  to  an  enemy. 
Indeed,  we  have  scriptural  authority  for  re¬ 
garding  these  two  affections  as  identical,  for 
the  wise  man  says,  “  Love  covereth  all  sins.77 
Prov.  10:12.  As  the  example  of  God  is  held 
up  for  our  imitation  in  this  respect,  we  may 
reasonably  consider  the  nature  of  his  forgive¬ 
ness  to  be  the  standard  of  our  own.  Now 
what  Christian  would  be  willing  to  regard  the 
divine  pardon  of  his  sins  as  a  merely  outward 
and  formal  one,  or  be  contented  to  know  that 
in  the  assurance,  “  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee,77 
the  words  of  God  belie  his  heart?  Is  it  not 


32 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  joy  of  the  redeemed  that  God  “remits,” 
“  blots  out,”  “  forgets,”  and  “  hides  his  face 
from  ”  their  transgressions  ?  These  strong 
terms  are  held  to  be  synonymous  with  forgive¬ 
ness,  and  in  them  we  find  a  sufficient  guide  to 
the  meaning  of  the  words,  “  forgiving  one  an¬ 
other,  even  as  God  for  Christ’s  sake  hath  forgiven 
you.” 

To  forgive  is  not  necessarily  to  encourage  a 
wrong,  nor  even  to  pass  it  by  in  silence.  Christ 
commands,  “If  thy  brother  trespass  against 
thee,  rebuke  him.”  Every  principle  of  virtue 
and  morality  demand  that  some  kinds  of  tres¬ 
pass  be  pointedly  denounced.  This  may  be 
done  in  pity,  in  justice,  and  from  a  clear  sense 
of  duty,  but  never  in  anger  or  resentment. 

Christ  has  clearly  taught  us  the  extent  to 
which  our  forgiveness  must  be  exercised.  Peter 
once  asked  him,  “  How  oft  shall  my  brother  sin 
against  me,  and  I  forgive  him  ?  till  seven  times  ? 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until 
seven  times :  but,  Until  seventy  times  seven”  He 
then  proceeds  to  illustrate  this  duty  by  the  fa¬ 
miliar  parable  of  the  forgiven  and  yet  unforgiv¬ 
ing  debtor,  who,  failing  to  exhibit  towards  his 
fellow-servants  the  same  compassion  which  he 


FORGIVENESS. 


33 


had  just  received,  was  “  delivered  to  the  torment¬ 
ors.”  “  So  likewise,”  he  adds,  “  shall  my  heav¬ 
enly  Father  do  also  unto  you,  if  ye  from  your 
hearts  forgive  not  every  one  his  brother  their 
trespasses.”  Matt.  18  :  21-35.  In  these  words 
we  are  taught  that  our  forgiveness  is  to  be  un¬ 
limited,  or  is  to  be  cherished,  if  it  were  possible, 
to  as  great  a  degree  as  God  has  manifested  it 
towards  us.  We  have  only  to  attempt  the 
measure  of  our  offences  against  Him,  and  if  we 
believe  them  all  forgiven,  we  find  before  us  an 
example  far  transcending  the  “seventy  times 
seven.” 

He,  therefore,  who  would  be  godlike  will, 
when  sinned  against,  instead  of  laying  hands 
on  the  offender  with  the  words,  “  Pay  me  that 
thou  owest,”  be  “  moved  with  compassion,  and 
loose  him,  and  forgive  him  the  debt.”  In  order 
to  dispose  to  this,  he  will  view  the  error  as 
leniently  as  possible,  and  will  take  into  account 
the  peculiar  temperament  and  constitutional 
peculiarities  of  the  trespassing  brother,  or  those 
misfortunes  which  have  perhaps  soured  his  dis¬ 
position,  and  rendered  it  thus  unkindly.  He 
will  reflect  that  perhaps  he  was  betrayed  into 
his  wrong  conduct  while  in  the  heat  of  passion, 

Ri^ht  Way.  3 


34 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


and  spoke  or  acted  without  deliberation,  and 
soon  will  be  all  sorrow  for  liis  fault,  and  eager 
for  forgiveness.  He  will  bear  in  mind — how 
can  he  possibly  forget  it? — that  he  is  daily 
making  large  drafts  upon  the  divine  forgive¬ 
ness  in  the  prayer,  “Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we 
forgive  our  debtors”  and  the  voice  of  Jesus  will 
be  heard  and  felt  within  him,  saying,  “If  ye 
forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will 
your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses.” 

The  following  incident,  related  of  two  Chris- 
tions  at  Antioch,  illustrates  the  important  bear¬ 
ings  of  this  virtue  upon  our  state  with  God. 
Sapricius,  who  was  a  priest,  and  Nicephorus 
were  at  enmity.  The  latter  plead  earnestly  for 
a  reconciliation,  which  the  former  obstinately 
refused.  Presently  the  persecution  of  Valerian 
began,  and  the  priest,  boldly  confessing  himself 
a  Christian,  was  on  his  way  to  martyrdom. 
Nicephorus  meeting  him,  again  sued  for  for¬ 
giveness,  but  still  in  vain.  At  length,  the  one 
still  pleading  and  the  other  refusing,  they  ar¬ 
rived  together  at  the  place  of  execution,  where 
the  priest,  in  order  to  save  his  life,  made  sud¬ 
den  shipwreck  of  his  avowed  faith,  and  abjured 
Christianity,  and  the  other  obtained  the  crown 


FORBEARANCE. 


35 


of  martyrdom  in  his  stead.  The  unforgiving 
servant  was  thus  proved  destitute  of  the  di¬ 
vine  pardon  and  grace,  whatever  may  have 
been  his  professions  to  the  contrary.  He  was 
not  permitted  to  offer  even  the  “gift”  of  him¬ 
self  upon  the  altar  of  Christian  faith,  because 
he  obeyed  not  the  Saviour’s  injunction,  “first 
be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come 
and  offer  thy  gift.”  Matt.  5  :  24.  An  unfor¬ 
giving  spirit,  however  disguised,  is  an  unchris¬ 
tian  spirit.  They  who  habitually  cherish  it, 
have  cause  to  tremble  lest  they  be  startled  from 
their  fancied  security  by  the  words,  “  Oh,  thou 
wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt  be¬ 
cause  thou  desiredst  me  :  shouldest  not  thou 
also  have  had  compassion  on  thy  fellow-ser¬ 
vant,  even  as  I  also  had  pity  on  thee  ?”  And 
in  the  reward  of  the  unforgiving  one,  who  was 
“  delivered  to  the  tormentors,”  they  may  be¬ 
hold  shadowed  forth  their  own  unhappy  fate. 
“  Blessed  arc  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy.”  Matt.  5:7.  “He  shall  have  judg¬ 
ment  without  mercy,  that  hath  showed  no  mer¬ 
cy.”  James  2  : 13.  “Forgive,  and  ye  shall  be 
forgiven.”  Luke  6  :  37. 

IY.  Forbearance.  Christ,  in  denouncing 


36 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  old  maxim,  “An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth/’  exhorts,  “  Resist  not  evil;  but  who¬ 
soever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn 
to  him  the  other  also.  And  if  any  man  will 
sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away  thy  coat, 
let  him  have  thy  cloak  also.  And  whosoever 
shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with  him 
twain.”  Matt.  5:39-41.  This  duty  is  also 
urged  in  several  other  passages.  “  Love  as 
brethren,  be  pitiful,  be  courteous :  not  render¬ 
ing  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing,  but 
contrariwise  blessing.”  1  Peter  3  :  8,  9.  “  See 

that  none  render  evil  for  evil  unto  any  man  ; 
but  ever  follow  that  which  is  good,  both  among 
yourselves,  and  to  all  men.”  1  Thess.  5 : 15. 
“  Recompense  to  no  man  evil  for  evil.”  “  Be 
not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good.”  Rom.  12:17,  21.  “Say  not  thou,  I 
will  recompense  evil ;  but  wait  on  the  Lord, 
and  he  shall  save  thee.”  Prov.  20  : 22.  “Walk 
worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  ye  are  called, 
with  all  lowliness  and  meekness,  with  long-suf¬ 
fering,  forbearing  one  another  in  love.”  Eph. 
4 : 1,  2o 

The  ordinary  usage  of  society  opposes  but  a 
slight  barrier  to  the  exercise  of  revenge.  Al- 


FORBEARANCE. 


37 


though  the  rule,  “  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth/’  may  not  literally  be  practised  in 
civilized  communities,  it  is  in  spirit ,  if  not  in 
letter,  a  fair  expression  of  the  public  sentiment. 
Against  this  wrong  principle  Jesus  opposes  the 
precept,  “  Resist  not  evil  ”  Where  love  to  an 
enemy  exists  in  the  heart,  obedience  to  this 
requirement  will  follow  as  its  fruit.  The  for¬ 
giveness  of  an  offender  implies  a  meek  endur¬ 
ance  of  the  offence.  As  God,  when  forgiving, 
stays  his  avenging  arm,  and  withholds  that 
punishment  with  which  he  might  justly  crush 
us,  so  those  who  would  imitate  him  must  endure 
injuries  with  forbearance  and  long-suffering. 
Those  resentful  thoughts  and  deeds  which  are 
generally  regarded  as  the  natural  right  of  all, 
are  not  to  be  viewed  with  any  favor  by  those 
who  obey  the  gospel.  The  very  word  revenge 
should  be  blotted  from  their  vocabulary,  as, 
when  the  gospel  triumphs,  the  thing  itself  shall 
be  blotted  from  the  world. 

He,  then,  who  would  practise  the  right  way, 
will  prove  his  love  and  forgiveness  by  resisting 
not.  injury.  As  it  is  the  part  of  love  to  suffer, 
rather  than  cause  pain  to  its  object,  he  will  pa¬ 
tiently  endure  wrong  at  the  hands  of  another, 


38 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


and  even  rejoice  in  his  enemy’s  exemption  from 
it.  Upon  those  occasions  when  some  degree 
of  resistance  is  necessary,  he  will  offer  it  with 
reluctance,  and  instead  of  rejoicing  at  the  op¬ 
portunity  for  so  doing,  will  deeply  regret  its 
necessity.  As  a  general  thing,  he  will  meekly 
yield  to  the  hand  that  smites  and  the  tongue 
that  reviles  him,  and  will  respond  to  the  in¬ 
sult,  or  disprove  the  slander,  more  by  his  life 
than  his  words.  Not  only  will  he  avoid  the 
retaliatory  blow,  but  even  the  witty  sarcasm  or 
inconsiderate  jest,  which  would  provoke  a  laugh 
at  the  expense  of  his  adversary.  The  only  re¬ 
sistance  he  will  offer,  will  be  to  the  evils  of  his 
own  heart ;  and  he  will  unite  against  them  all 
those  energies  with  which  others  are  accus¬ 
tomed  to  resist  an  outward  foe.  Desirous  of 
following  “  the  things  that  make  for  peace,”  he 
will  obey  that  voice  of  God,  “  Avenge  not  your¬ 
selves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath  :  for 
it  is  written,  Vengeance  is  mine  ;  I  will  repay, 
saith  the  Lord.”  Rom.  12  : 19.  ‘‘Blessed  are 
the  meek,  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.” 
“Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall 
be  called  the  children  of  God.”  Matthew 
5  : 5,  9. 


RENDERING-  G-OOD  FOR  EVIL. 


39 


Y.  Rendering  good  for  evil.  “  Love  your 
enemies ,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to 
them  that  hato  you,  and  pray  for  them  which 
despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you ;  that 
ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven  :  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the 
evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the 
just  and  on  the  unjust.'7  Matt.  5  :  44,  45.  “  Not 
rendering  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing  ; 
but  contrariwise  blessing.”  1  Pet.  3:9.  “  Bless 
them  which  persecute  you  ;  bless,  and  curse 
not.77  “  Therefore,  if  thine  eneinv  hunger,  feed 
him  ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink  :  for  in  so  do¬ 
ing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head.77 
“Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil 
with  good.77  Rom.  12  : 14,  20,  21. 

The  meaning  of  these  precepts  is  plain  and 
undeniable.  All  must  perceive  that  they  for¬ 
bid  even  a  cold,  distant  demeanor  towards  an 
enemy,  or  a  disregard  of  his  interests.  Some 
think  that  they  have  carried  their  kindness 
quite  far  enough  when  they  have  allowed  the 
trespasser  to  go  unharmed.  But  we  are  here 
taught  that  we  may  not  even  treat  with  “  silent 
contempt 77  him  whom  duty  forbids  us  to  punish 
in  any  other  way  :  and  that  while  endeavoring 


40 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


to  forgive  and  forbear,  we  are  not  absolved 
from  the  further  obligation  to  associate  with 
and  benefit  him. 

To  those  who  acknowledge  the  wisdom  and 
obligation  of  this  class  of  precepts,  little  need 
be  said  as  to  the  manner  of  their  fulfilment. 
Circumstances  will  generally  determine  the 
mode  in  which  they  may  be  the  best  obeyed, 
and  suggest  the  particular  kind  of  good  which 
it  is  our  dut}r  to  render.  Where  the  right  dis¬ 
position  exists,  opportunities  for  exercising  it 
will  not  be  wanting.  Paul  has  specified  two 
extreme  cases — yet  with  no  design  of  excluding 
those  of  lesser  importance — in  the  exhortation, 
“  If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him  :  if  he  thirst, 
give  him  drink.”  The  meaning  of  this  is,  that 
rather  than  rejoice  in  his  sufferings  of  any  kind 
whatever,  we  should  relieve  them.  In  the  di¬ 
vine  example — which  we  should  ever  look  upon 
as  our  standard — God,  who  is  infinite,  blesses 
those  of  his  enemies  who  have  a  heart  to  accept 
his  gifts,  with  infinite  good.  He  does  not  dis¬ 
criminate  between  the  very  gross  and  the  com¬ 
paratively  slight  offender,  but  bestows  upon  all 
who  will  receive  it  in  his  appointed  way  the 
same  forgiveness,  the  same  salvation,  and  the 


RENDERING-  GOOD  FOR  EVIL. 


41 


same  heaven.  So  we,  in  doing  good  to  those 
who  hate  us,  are  not  to  be  governed  by  their 
deserts,  but  by  our  opportunities  for  benefiting 
them,  and  their  willingness  to  be  benefited  by 

us. 

He  who  obeys  these  precepts  will  mark  every 
occasion  of  injury  by  the  bestowment  of  some 
peculiar  favor,  so  that  it  may  be  said  of  him, 
as  it  was  of  Archbishop  Cranmer,  “  The  best 
way  to  make  him  your  friend  is  to  do  him  an 
ill  turn.”  If  he  can  discover  no  necessity  to 
be  supplied,  he  will  at  least  bestow  the  kind 
word,  and  exhibit  in  look  and  demeanor,  and 
in  those  numberless  acts  of  courtesy  which  it 
is  always  in  our  power  to  render,  a  sincere  de¬ 
sire  for  his  welfare.  Every  repetition  of  the 
offence  will  be  the  signal  for  repeated  kind¬ 
nesses  ;  and  even  should  this  strife  be  long  con¬ 
tinued,  he  will  be  as  eager  to  follow  every  evil 
with  good  to  the  end,  as  was  ever  an  angry 
disputant  to  secure  the  “  last  word  ”  of  a  con¬ 
troversy. 

He  will  especially  delight  in  praying  for  his 
enemy.  And  here,  after  all,  is  the  noblest  tri¬ 
umph  of  good  over  evil ;  for  what  blessing  can 
surpass  that  of  earnest  prayer  in  behalf  of  a 


42 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


fellow-creature  ?  By  means  of  it  we  not  only 
exercise  and  put  in  practice  our  own  love  to 
him,  but,  if  our  prayers  are  what  they  should 
be,  we  enlist  God  in  the  work  of  benefiting  him, 
and  obtain  for  him  such  favors  as  no  mortal 
could  confer.  Perhaps,  in  answer  to  our  effect¬ 
ual  prayer,  a  soul  is  saved,  new  joy  caused  in 
heaven  over  a  repenting  sinner,  and  he  who  curs¬ 
ed  us  blessed  with  “a  crown  of  life/7  and  “an 
eternal  weight  of  glory.77  Such  is  said  to  have 
been  the  result  of  a  poor  negro7s  prayer,  once 
offered  in  behalf  of  a  cruel  and  ungodly  master. 
He  was  a  slave,  and  had  been  severely  whipped 
for  reading  the  Bible.  Soon  afterwards,  his 
master  going  near  the  place  of  punishment,  his 
attention  was  arrested  bv  the  voice  of  one  en- 

V 

gaged  in  prayer.  As  he  listened,  out  of  mere 
curiosity,  he  heard  the  poor  slave  imploring 
God  to  forgive  the  injustice  of  his  master,  to 
touch  his  heart  with  a  sense  of  his  sin,  and  to 
make  him  a  good  Christian.  Struck  with  re¬ 
morse,  lie  made  an  immediate  change  in  his  life, 
which  had  been  careless  and  dissipated,  burnt 
his  profane  books  and  cards,  provided  for  the 
liberation  of  all  his  slaves,  and  appeared  now  to 
study  only  how  to  render  his  wealth  and  talents 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE. 


43 


useful  to  others.  Who  could  desire  to  bestow  or 
to  receive  a  richer  blessing  than  is  hinted  at  in 
the  words,  “  Pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use 
you  and  persecute  you?” 

VI.  The  golden  rule.  It  only  remains  that 
we  notice  one  more  precept  upon  this  subject, 
namely,  that  commonly  and  justly  known  as 
“  the  golden  ruled ’  In  his  sermon  upon  the 
mount,  Christ  gives  us  the  sum  of  “  the  law  and 
the  prophets,”  with  regard  to  the  relative  du¬ 
ties  of  men,,  in  the  words,  “  Therefore  all  things 
whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you ,  do 
ye  even  so  to  them.”  Matt.  7:12. 

This  precept  embraces  in  its  meaning  every 
other  relating  to  human  intercourse.  It  de¬ 
mands  love  to  all  men,  including  enemies,  the 
forgiveness  of  injuries,  the  rendering  of  good 
for  evil,  and  every  duty  of  man  to  man  which 
is  enjoined  in  the  gospel.  It  is  the  exact  coun¬ 
terpart  of  the  command,  “  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself,”  the  only  difference  be¬ 
tween  them  being  this,  that  while  the  one  pre¬ 
scribes  the  disposition  to  be  cherished,  the 
other  points  out  the  manner  in  which  that  dis¬ 
position  is  to  be  exhibited. 

This  rule  is  equally  applicable  to  every  rela- 


44 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


tion  in  life,  and  to  every  individual.  Christ 
makes  no  exception,  and  we  can  make  none. 
Indeed,  he  teaches  us  that  in  the  word  “  men,” 
as  here  employed,  enemies  are  expressly  in¬ 
cluded.  In  Luke’s  account  of  this  command, 
it  is  immediately  followed  by  these  words,  “For 
if  ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  thank 
have  ye  ?  for  sinners  also  love  those  that  love 
them.  And  if  ye  do  good  to  them  which  do 
good  to  you,  what  thank  have  ye  ?  for  sinners 
also  do  even  the  same.”  “  But  love  ye  your  ene¬ 
mies ,  and  do  good  and  lend,  hoping  for  nothing 
again  ;  and  your  reward  shall  be  great,  and  ye 
shall  be  the  children  of  the  Highest :  for  he  is 
kind  unto  the  unthankful  and  to  the  evil.  Be 
ye  therefore  merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is 
merciful.”  Luke  6  :  32-36. 

Now  what  is  the  treatment  of  an  enemy  that 
is  here  prescribed  ?  Suppose  an  injured  person 
is  striving  honestly  to  act  upon  this  rule — his 
reflections  will  be  such  as  these :  “  Placing  my 
soul  in  his  soul’s  stead,  how  should  I  desire  to 
be  treated  by  one  whom  I  had  thus  injured? 
Should  I  be  made  happy  by  his  retaliation? 
Should  I  not  prefer  to  be  met  with  a  meek, 
quiet  demeanor,  with  words  and  deeds  of  love, 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE . 


45 


and  a  spirit  eager  to  forgive  and  bless  me? 
As,  then,  1  should  wish  thus  to  be  treated,  so  I 
will  now  love,  forgive,  and  bless  my  adversary. 
As  I  would  that  he  should  do  unto  me,  even  so, 
God  helping  me,  I  will  do  to  him.” 

It  is  easy  to  see  what  would  be  the  necessary 
results  of  a  general  obedience  to  this  precept. 
It  would  effectually  curb  the  most  violent  dis¬ 
positions.  It  would  banish  from  the  world 
every  form  of  strife,  for  it  would  nip  in  their 
beginnings  all  hatred  and  ill-will.  There 
would  then  be  no  occasion  for  the  command, 
“Resist  not  evil,”  for  evil  would  not  be  in¬ 
flicted  by  man  upon  his  fellow.  Resentment 
would  be  unknown,  for  there  would  be  no  inju¬ 
ries  to  resent.  The  universal  observance  of 
this  rule  would  clothe  social  intercourse  with 
a  new  and  holy  charm,  and  cause  all  distrac¬ 
tions,  altercations,  and  wars,  to  cease  from 
among  men. 

Such  are  some  of  the  precepts  given  in  the 
gospel  for  the  government  of  human  inter¬ 
course.  Beautiful  in  their  simplicity,  wise  in 
their  adaptations,  perfect  in  their  binding  pow¬ 
er,  and  glorious  in  their  tendencies,  they  prove 
themselves  divine.  They  come  to  us  all  glow- 


46 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ingwith  the  spirit  of  their  Author,  and  clothed 
with  a  loveliness  which  cannot  but  attract,  and 
a  majesty  and  authority  which  command  our 
reverent  homage.  Truly,  “  never  man  spake 
like  this  man !”  And  they  are  no  merely  sub¬ 
lime  theories,  to  be  rather  distantly  admired 
than  obeyed,  but  near,  living,  and  practical. 
They  may  be  made  the  means  of  blessing  in 
every  relation  to  which  they  are  applied  ;  and 
while  strengthening  and  sweetening  the  bonds 
of  love,  extend  them  far  and  wide.  In  these 
precepts  is  clearly  enough  revealed  the  Right 
Way.  It  is  for  us  joyfully  to  accept  and  obey 
them  as  a  sufficient  rule  of  dutv. 

He  who  fulfils  them  from  the  heart  will  have 
obtained  a  glorious  conquest  over  both  himself 
and  his  adversary  :  over  himself,  because  he 
will  have  effectually  resisted  those  passions 
which  most  enslave  us  ;  and  over  his  adver¬ 
sary,  because,  even  if  he  does  not  conquer  him 
by  kindness,  he  at  least  obtains  the  mastery  in 
the  maintenance  of  self-possession  and  manly 
dignity  of  character.  His  is  the  sublime  con¬ 
sciousness  of  duty  performed  and  good  confer¬ 
red,  and  not  the  scathing  remembrance  of  his 
own  sin,  and  its  bitter  fruit  in  another’s  misery. 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE. 


47 


His  is  the  true  honor,  and  whether  acknow¬ 
ledged  by  men  or  not,  a  glory  far  surpassing 
that  which  encircles  the  names  of  many  whom 
the  world  calls  heroes.  His  is  the  highest  wis¬ 
dom,  for  “  he  that  is  slow  to  wrath  is  of  great 
understanding,”  Prov.  14  :  29,  and  “  the  wisdom 
that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable, 
gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated.”  Jas.  3  :  IT. 
He  approves  himself  a  man  in  the  highest  and 
truest  sense  of  the  term,  for  he  exhibits  some¬ 
thing  of  that  image  of  God  in  which  man  was 
first  created,  and  which  it  is  the  design  of  the 
gospel  to  restore.  By  the  very  exercise  of 
these  kindly  feelings,  and  by  the  grace  which 
prompts  them,  he  rises  to  a  higher  sphere  of 
existence,  where  he  breathes  a  purer  air,  and 
basks  more  fully  in  the  rays  of  the  divine  sun 
of  life  and  blessedness.  He  lives  the  true  life 
of  humanity,  and  in  his  obedience  to  the  “  royal 
law  ”  of  love,  walks  a  king  among  his  fellows. 
The  tyrants  Hate,  Envy,  Malice,  and  Revenge, 
who  keep  so  many  millions  groaning  under 
their  servitude,  lie  humbled  at  his  feet,  their 
power  weakened,  if  not  wholly  broken,  and  he 
who  was  once  their  degraded  victim  is  made 
their  master  ;  while  the  mild  virtues,  Love,  For- 


48 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


giveness,  Patience,  and  Good-will,  habitually 
sway  his  thoughts  and  actions,  and  gild  his 
whole  outer  and  inner  life  with  their  holy 
lustre. 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


49 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OBJECTIONS  AND  DIFFICULTIES  CONSIDERED. 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  precepts  such  as 
we  have  now  considered,  will  encounter  much 
opposition.  As  they  directly  conflict  with  the 
commonly  received  maxims  of  society,  as  well 
as  witli  the  principles  of  our  depraved  nature, 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  men  raise  many 
objections  to  them,  and  shrink  from  the  real  or 
imagined  difficulties  of  their  practice. 

I.  It  may  be  objected  to  the  gospel  method 
of  intercourse,  that  honor  requires  that  every  in¬ 
sult  or  injury  he  resented.  It  may  be  urged  that 
he  who  obeys  the  gospel  will  be  branded  by 
many  as  cowardly  and  mean-spirited. 

There  have  been  different  notions  of  honor 
among  different  nations ;  and  every  age  has 
had  its  peculiar  ideas  upon  the  subject.  In 
ancient  Sparta,  successful  theft  was  considered 
honorable.  In  parts  of  India,  it  is  at  this  day 
thought  disgraceful  for  a  widow  to  survive  her 
husband.  It  is  said  of  the  Japanese,  that  upon 
occasion  of  gross  insult  the  offended  person  is 

4 


night  Way. 


50 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


bound  in  honor  to  commit  suicide  by  disem¬ 
bowelling  himself  with  his  sword.  In  modern 
times,  Fashion  has,  in  some  places,  demanded 
that  men  deliberately  shoot  one  another,  as  the 
only  honorable  mode  of  settling  their  disputes. 
Happily  this  relic  of  barbarism  is  fast  disap¬ 
pearing  from  civilized  communities,  and  in  most 
portions  of  them  the  duellist  is  justly  regarded 
as  brutal,  degraded,  and  murderous.  Still,  it 
is  very  generally  considered  an  essential  quali¬ 
fication  of  a  brave  man  that  he  in  some  way 
resent  injuries.  He  who  meekly  yields  to  them, 
or  repays  them  with  blessings,  is  apt  to  be  sus¬ 
pected  of  cowardice;  while  he  whose  blood 
boils  with  indignation  against  an  adversary, 
and  who  retorts  his  scurrilous  abuse,  or  pas¬ 
sionately  chastises  him,  is  admired  as  “  a  man 
of  spirit.”  Even  if,  in  an  uncontrollable  out¬ 
burst  of  wrath,  he  kills  his  foe,  many  are  dis¬ 
posed  to  look  leniently  upon  the  criminal,  and 
instead  of  punishing  his  crime ,  merely  to  com¬ 
miserate  his  misfortune. 

These  ideas  of  honor  are  as  false  and  unwor¬ 
thy  as  those  we  have  just  noticed.  He  who 
pleads  them,  proceeds  on  precisely  the  same 
principle  that  demands  the  Hindoo  suttee,  or 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


51 


the  Japanese  suicide :  namely,  that  popular 
opinion  is  the  true  standard  of  glory.  But 
what  is  its  true  standard?  It  is  afforded  only 
in  the  word  of  God,  and  the  example  of  Christ. 
Our  Maker,  in  revealing  to  us  his  will  and  his 
glory,  has  also  revealed  both  our  happiness  and 
our  glory,  for  they  coincide.  The  divine  word 
teaches  us  that  “  it  is  an  honor  for  a  man  to 
cease  from  strife/’  Prov.  20:8;  that  “he  that 
is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty  ;  and 
he  that  ruleth  his  spirit,  than  he  that  taketh  a 
city,”  Prov.  16  :  32;  that  “the  discretion  of  a 
man  deferreth  his  anger  ;  and  it  is  his  glory  to 
pass  over  a  transgression.”  Prov.  19:11. 

What  is  it  that  constitutes  honor?  Is  it 
victory?  Then  the  more  arduous  the  conquest, 
the  higher  the  honor.  If  a  surmounting  of  the 
greatest  obstacles,  and  an  achieving  of  victory 
in  the  face  of  the  most  violent  opposition,  be 
glory,  then  that  term  is  not  so  applicable  to 
the  conqueror  of  men  as  to  the  conqueror  of 
himself.  The  fiery  duellist  and  the  successful 
general  are  esteemed  courageous ;  yet  many  a 
meek  and  lowly  Christian,  who  is  called  mean- 
spirited  by  those  whom  he  forgives,  and  who  is 
now  unknown  to  human  fame,  but  whose  name 


52 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


shines  brightly  in  the  book  of  life,  far  surpass¬ 
es  them  in  the  splendor  of  his  achievements. 
Again,  is  honor  the  supremacy  of  mind  or  mat¬ 
ter,  of  soul  or  body?  That  brute  is  a  distin¬ 
guished  one  who  is  the  terror  of  his  fellows, 
and  so  is  that  man  ;  but  is  his  an  enviable  dis¬ 
tinction  ?  Is  that  a  worthy  vindication  of  per¬ 
sonal  honor  which  consists  in  the  exhibition  of 
base,  brutal  qualities ;  or  that  which  shows  a 
triumph  of  reason  and  good  sense?  Surely 
none  need  hesitate  as  to  whether  he  will  aim  at 
the  honor  of  a  brute,  or  that  of  an  intelligent, 
reasoning  man. 

o 

They  who  are  accustomed  to  stand  punctil¬ 
iously  upon  this  imaginary  point  of  honor,  are 
so  far  from  being  honorable,  that  they  are  little 
else  than  abject  slaves.  The  spirit  which  will 
not  yield  to  an  outward  injury  marks  plainly  a 
state  of  inward  servitude.  The  “  soft  answer” 
and  the  forbearing  and  forgiving  conduct  mark 
those  noble  beings  who  have  struggled  into 
manly  liberty,  and  who,  fearless  of  custom,  pop¬ 
ular  opinion,  and  false  honor — those  scourges 
with  which  our  passions  lash  us  to  obedience — 
stand  up  erect  in  their  lofty  heroism,  their  own 
masters,  and  servants  only  to  their  Maker. 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


53 


Every  consideration  of  honor  and  self-respect, 
then,  so  far  from  affording  any  objection  to  the 
right  way,  furnishes  the  most  powerful  motives 
to  its  practice.  Thus,  we  are  authorized  to 
hope,  it  shall  yet  be  considered  by  the  world 
at  large.  The  time  is  coming — all  prophecy, 
and  all  the  current  of  human  progress  alike 
point  to  it — when  the  false  judgments  of  by¬ 
gone  generations  shall  be  reversed ;  when  the 
bloody  deeds  of  heroes  shall  be  stripped  of  their 
fictitious  splendor  ;  when  public  opinion,  mould¬ 
ed  by  the  sweet  influences  of  the  gospel  of 
peace,  shall  frown  upon  all  exhibitions  of  re¬ 
sentment  ;  when  the  niche  in  Fame’s  temple, 
which  only  slaves  to  passion  are  now  allowed 
to  fill,  shall  be  occupied  by  the  most  meek,  most 
loving,  and  most  forgiving  of  men;  and  when 
the  peaceful  virtues  shall  render  their  posses¬ 
sors  glorious.  Towards  this  change  of  public 
sentiment  events  are  rapidly  tending.  W e  ap¬ 
peal  to  the  reader  whether  he  will  retard  it  by 
conforming  to  views  which  all  reason  and  scrip¬ 
ture  pronounce  erroneous ;  or  whether  he  will 
hasten  it,  by  seeking,  in  noble  independence  of 
the  world’s  false  notions,  true  glory. 

II.  It  may  be  objected  to  the  gospel  method, 


54 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


that  there  are  aggravated  cases  of  injury ,  to 
which  it  is  not  applicable.  Admitting  its  just¬ 
ness  with  reference  to  the  ordinary  and  lesser 
occasions  of  strife,  is  there  not  “a  point,  be¬ 
yond  which  forbearance  ceases  to  be  a  virtue  ?77 
It  may  be  said,  I  am  willing  to  forgive  slight 
injuries ;  but  there  are  those  of  a  graver  char¬ 
acter,  which  must  not  be  overlooked.  Such,  for 
instance,  are  deliberate  persecutions,  long  per¬ 
sisted  in,  and  marked  with  constant  efforts  for 
my  ruin.  The  sum  of  the  objection  would 
amount  to  this :  “  The  principle  of  the  right 
way  is  good — it  is  divine ;  but  the  extent  to 
which  it  is  to  be  practised  is  in  an  inverse  ratio 
to  the  enormity  of  the  offence.  The  greater  the 
injury,  the  less  it  is  to  be  forgiven.  If  an  ene¬ 
my  hate  me  but  little,  1  am  to  love  him ;  if  a 
great  deal,  I  am  justified  in  hating  him.77 

Those  who  make  use  of  this  objection,  either 

widely  mistake  the  character  of  the  gospel  pre- 

* 

cepts,  or  do  not  obey  them  at  all ;  for  they 
have  a  direct  reference  to  the  grosser  and  more 
aggravated  kinds  of  trespass ;  and  in  this  fact 
lies  their  chief  value.  Peter  says,  “For  this  is 
thankworthy,  if  a  man  for  conscience  toward 
God  endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully.  For 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


55 


what  glory  is  it,  if,  when  ye  he  buffeted  for 
your  faults,  ye  shall  take  it  patiently?  but  if, 
when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it 
patiently,  this  is  acceptable  with  God.”  1  Pet. 
2  : 19,  20.  If  love,  meekness,  and  forgiveness 
be  duties,  the  fact  that  the  injury  is  severe  and 
undeserved,  so  far  from  absolving  us  from  them, 
only  demands  that  they  be  the  more  thoroughly 
and  earnestly  discharged. 

This  objection  is  put  at  rest  by  the  example  of 
those  who  are  held  up  in  the  Scriptures  for  our 
imitation.  The  case  of  the  martyr  Stephen  was 
surely  an  aggravated  one,  for  his  enemies  were 
stoning  him  to  death.  Yet  he  did  not  deem 
this  a  sufficient  reason  for  cherishing  one  bitter 
feeling  towards  them,  but  prayed  with  his  last 
breath,  “  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge.” 
Acts  7  : 60.  What  grosser  indignities  can  be 
imagined  than  those  that  were  heaped  upon 
Christ?  Betrayed,  scourged,  spit  upon,  cruci¬ 
fied — not  all  this  accumulation  of  injuries  could 
extort  from  him  a  whisper  of  resentment,  or 
prevent  his  firm,  hearty  utterance  of  the  prayer, 
“  Father,  forgive  them !”  Who  can  estimate  the 
enormity  of  every  sinner’s  offences  against  God? 
Are  they  not  a  thousand-fold  more  aggravated 


56 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


than  any  wo  can  commit  against  one  another? 
Yet  hear  God  saying,  “Though  your  sins  be  as 
scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow  ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.” 
Isa.  1:18.  Here  is  our  standard.  When  we 
are  required  to  exercise  a  forgiveness  and  long- 
suffering  greater  than  these,  it  will  be  time 
enough  to  hesitate :  but  let  not  those  who  are 
daily  the  objects  of  a  forbearance  so  great  that 
only  God  could  exercise  it,  attempt  nicely  to 
assign  the  limit  beyond  which  “forbearance 
ceases  to  be  a  virtue/7  and  hate  to  be  a  crime. 
We  are  not  warranted  in  the  belief  that  there 
is  any  such  limit.  The  maxim  just  quoted  was 
never  derived  from  God’s  word,  nor  from  the 
example  of  God  or  Christ. 

III.  Another  and  plausible  objection  to  the 
right  way  is,  that  its  practice  would  only  subject 
us  to  yet  greater  injuries. 

Whether  this  is  true  or  not,  the  fact  that  it 
is  our  duty  sufficiently  answers  this,  as  indeed 
it  does  every  objection.  We  have  no  right  to 
make  the  real  or  supposed  results  of  a  divine 
obligation  the  criterion  of  our  obedience.  If 
the  way  which  we  have  presented  is  the  right 
way,  it  is  our  plain  duty  to  follow  it,  whatever 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


57 


be  the  consequences.  The  objection,  however, 
has  not  the  sanction  of  either  reason  or  revela¬ 
tion.  Obedience  to  the  gospel  must  necessarily 
lessen  strife,  and  “  turn  away  wrath.77  He  who 
controls  his  own  passions,  acquires  thereby  a 
mastery  over  those  of  his  adversary,  and  by  his 
very  forbearance  disarms  the  other’s  enmity^ 
and  recalls  him  to  reflection.  He  docs  indeed 
outwardly  yield,  in  refraining  from  physical 
resistance,  yet  he  subdues  him  by  a  moral  pow¬ 
er  which  is  far  more  effective  than  that  of  the 
strongest  arm,  or  the  deadliest  weapon. 

But  it  may  be  said,  while  this  is  in  general 
true,  it  is  not  always  the  case.  When  assailed 
by  one  of  violent  temper,  will  not  our  forbear¬ 
ance  be  abused  ?  Are  there  not  those  who  will 
basely  take  advantage  of  it,  and  improve  the 
opportunity  thus  afforded  them,  by  new  injuries  ? 
It  is  the  misfortune  of  the  Christian  world  that 
this  has  been  so  generally  taken  for  granted, 
that  few  have  fairly  tested  the  question  in  their 
own  experience.  Men  have  so  believed  their 
fears  upon  this  subject,  that  they  have  rarely 
given  themselves  the  opportunity  to  learn 
whether  those  fears  are  just,  or  groundless. 
Even  the  best  of  Christians  have  been  slow  to 


58 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


believe  that  He  who  commands  is  able  to  pro¬ 
tect  his  children  in  their  obedience.  But  is  he 
not  the  God  of  providence?  How  easy  it  would 
be  for  him  to  avert  the  blow  that  is  aimed  at  a 
faithful  disciple,  to  wither  the  arm  that  is  lifted 
against  him,  and  instantly  to  subdue  the  fero¬ 
cious  tiger  to  the  disposition  of  the  lamb!  We 
are  accustomed,  in  regard  to  other  duties,  to 
expect  that  God  will  sustain  and  defend  us  in 
their  discharge.  It  is  a  sad  want  of  faith  which 
prevents  us  from  thus  relying  upon  him  in  the 
fulfilment  of  these.  When  that  faith  shall  be 
more  strongly  cherished,  it  will  be  found  to 
fulfil  our  highest  expectations ;  and  it  will  be 
seen  that  by  the  operation  of  natural  laws,  and 
the  ordinary  course  of  divine  Providence,  the 
right  way  results  only  in  good  to  those  who 
practise  it.  This,  the  known  character  of  God, 
and  the  very  constitution  of  his  moral  govern¬ 
ment,  lead  us  confidently  to  believe. 

Owing  to  the  general  distrust  upon  this  sub¬ 
ject,  and  to  the  few  efforts  made  to  obey  these 
precepts,  we  cannot  point  to  as  many  proofs  of 
the  security  of  the  right  way  as  might  be  de¬ 
sired.  There  have  been  instances,  however,  in 
which  its  fearless  practice  has  been  rewarded 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


59 


by  exemption  from  imminent  peril.  One  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  affecting  of  these  is  related 
of  David,  1  Sam.  chap.  24.  He  had  been  for 
a  long  time  pursued  by  Saul,  who  was  eager 
to  take  his  life.  From  place  to  place  his  enemy 
had  hunted  him  like  a  wild  beast,  but  without 
success.  At  length,  having  been  informed  that 
he  was  in  the  wilderness  of  Engcdi,  he  went 
there  with  three  thousand  men,  intent  upon  his 
capture  and  destruction.  While  upon  this  mis¬ 
sion  of  hate,  he  providentially  turned  aside  into 
a  cave  in  which  David  and  his  men  had  con¬ 
cealed  themselves,  and  there  slept.  Here  was 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  David  to  rid  him¬ 
self  of  his  foe.  He  might  have  reasoned  thus : 
“  My  life  is  in  peril.  If  I  now  slay  him,  I  shall 
thereby  save  myself.  If  I  permit  him  to  live, 
will  he  not  employ  the  life  which  I  spare  in 
compassing  my  destruction?  Will  not  my  for¬ 
bearance  expose  me  to  yet  greater  injuries?” 
His  sense  of  duty,  however,  prevailed  over  his 
fears,  and  lie  contented  himself  with  cutting  off 
the  skirt  of  Saul’s  garment,  for  an  evidence  that 
he  had  been  within  his  power ;  although  even 
for  this  his  heart  afterwards  “smote  him.” 
When  Saul  had  arisen  and  departed,  David 


60 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


followed  him,  presented  himself  before  him,  and 
assured  him  of  his  kind  feelings  and  desire  for 
his  welfare.  What  was  the  result?  Did  that 
bitterest  of  foes  seize  this  opportunity  to  gratify 
his  hatred?  No  ;  the  fiery  enemy  suddenly  be¬ 
came  the  humble  suppliant.  Melted  with  con¬ 
trition,  “  Saul  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept/7  and 
said  to  David,  “thou  art  more  righteous  than  I, 
for  thou  hast  rewarded  me  good,  whereas  I 
have  rewarded  thee  evil ;  .  .  .  .  wherefore  the 
Lord  reward  thee  good  for  that  thou  hast 
done  unto  me  this  day.77  He  then  predicted 
David’s  future  triumph  and  royalty,  implored 
his  mercy  towards  himself  and  his  seed,  and 
went  home  without  so  much  as  lifting  a  finger 
against  him  for  whose  blood  he  had  so  long 
thirsted. 

There  have  been  many  other  instances  in 
which  a  similar  treatment  of  enemies  has  result¬ 
ed  in  a  like  manner.  These  have  principally 
occurred  among  a  class  who  have  been  the  most 
conspicuous,  in  modern  times,  for  their  obedi¬ 
ence  to  these  precepts — the  Friends ,  or  Quakers. 
Most  nobly  have  they  exemplified  and  vindicated 
them.  Embodying  them  as  a  distinct  and  prom¬ 
inent  feature  of  their  creed,  and  accepting 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


61 


their  most  literal  interpretation,  they  have 
boldly  put  them  in  practice  upon  the  most  try¬ 
ing  occasions.  The  remarkable  success  which 
has  attended  their  efforts,  is  a  sufficient  answer 
to  the  objection  under  consideration.  Well 
will  it  be  for  the  church  and  the  world,  when 
all  Christians  shall  heed  the  lesson  which  has 
thus,  for  two  centuries,  been  practically  unfold¬ 
ing  before  them. 

During  the  Irish  rebellion  of  1798,  the  peace 
principles  of  the  Quakers  were  put  to  the 
severest  test.  Viewed  with  suspicion  by  both 
parties,  and  threatened  and  insulted  upon  all 
sides,  they  yet  had  the  courage  publicly  to  de¬ 
stroy  every  weapon  among  them,  and  firmly  ad¬ 
hered  to  their  resolution  to  do  good  to  both 
parties,  and  harm  to  neither.  It  is  a  remark¬ 
able  circumstance  that  throughout  that  fierce 
and  bloody  struggle,  these  peacemakers  were 
generally  uninjured.  However  wild  and  reck¬ 
less  may  have  been  the  fury  of  either  party 
when  victorious,  their  cry  was,  “Spare  the 
Quakers  ;  they  have  done  good  to  all,  and  harm 
to  none.77  Their  peace  principles  afforded  them 
an  equal  protection  in  their  intercourse  with 
the  savage  tribes  of  North  America.  It  is  a 


62 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


well-known  and  significant  fact,  that  during  the 
early  settlement  of  this  country,  they  were  gen¬ 
erally  exempted  from  the  hostile  attacks  of  the 
Indians.  Of  this  the  history  of  the  colony  of 
Pennsylvania  affords  a  striking  example. 

It  is  related  of  Robert  Barclay,  that  he  was 
once  attacked  by  a  highwayman,  a  pistol  level¬ 
led  at  him,  and  a  demand  made  for  his  purse. 
Calm  and  self-possessed,  he  looked  the  robber 
in  the  face,  and  mildly  assured  him  that  he  was 
his  and  every  man’s  friend,  and  willing  to  re¬ 
lieve  his  wants ;  but  being  free  from  the  fear 
of  death,  he  was  not  to  be  intimidated  by  a 
deadly  weapon.  He  then  appealed  to  him 
whether  he  could  have  the  heart  to  shed  the 
blood  of  one  who  had  no  other  feeling  or  pur¬ 
pose  but  to  do  him  good.  “  The  robber  was 
confounded ;  his  eye  suffused  with  tears ;  his 
brawny  arm  trembled  ;  his  pistol  fell  to  his 
side  ;  and  he  fled,  abashed,  from  the  presence  of 
the  hero  who  had  dared  to  ‘resist  not  evil.’” 

During  a  violent  persecution  of  Christians  in 
France,  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
M.  de  St.  Claude,  a  man  of  eminent  piety,  was 
imprisoned  in  the  Bastile.  At  the  same  time 
a  man  was  confined  there  who  was  such  a  mon- 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


63 


ster  of  ferocity  that  no  one  dared  to  approach 
him.  He  seldom  spoke  without  the  most  horrid 
blasphemies,  and  violently  struck  all  who  came 
near  him.  After  exhausting  every  expedient 
to  overcome  this  brutal  disposition,  the  gover¬ 
nor  of  the  prison  persuaded  Claude  to  under¬ 
take  the  task.  lie  was  shut  up  with  the  inhu¬ 
man  wretch,  who  at  first  abated  none  of  his 
violence,  but  constantly  assailed  him  with 
angry  revilings  and  savage  blows.  The  humble 
Christian  responded  to  them  with  mild,  forgiv¬ 
ing  words,  and  patient  endurance,  and  prayers. 
Such  a  warfare  could  not  long  be  sustained. 
The  monster  was  conquered.  Looking  in  the 
face  of  his  companion,  he  cast  himself  at  his 
feet,  and  embracing  them,  burst  into  a  flood  of 
tears.  He  implored  Claude’s  forgiveness,  and 
entreated  him  to  teach  him  that  religion  which 
had  influenced  him  to  such  noble  conduct.  He 
became  from  that  time  a  meek,  peaceable,  and 
pious  man ;  and  even  when  restored  to  liberty, 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  he  was  persuaded  to 
leave  his  Christian  friend. 

We  do  not  affirm  that  such  would  be  the  in¬ 
variable  result  of  obeying  the  gospel  precepts. 
It  is,  however,  the  general  tendency  of  that  obedi- 


64 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


ence.  Instances  have  occurred  in  which  for¬ 
bearance  has  been  attended  with  consequences 
precisely  opposite.  The  lives  of  the  Christian 
martyrs,  and  especially  that  of  the  divinely 
forgiving,  and  yet  crucified  Jesus,  show  that 
love  will  not  always  disarm  an  enemy.  But 
that  such  will  be  its  ordinary  effect  seems  rea¬ 
sonable,  and  is  confirmed  by  human  experience. 
At  all  events,  those  who  make  use  of  this 
objection  should  try  the  experiment  of  the 
prescribed  course  of  conduct,  before  positively 
asserting  its  insecurity.  It  has  never  yet  been 
sufficiently  tested,  nor  will  it  be,  until  Chris¬ 
tians  shall  awake  from  their  long  indifference, 
and  in  the  exercise  of  a  simple  faith  in  God, 
try  to  discharge  plain  duty.  They  will  then 
discover  that  in  this,  as  in  every  other  respect, 
duty  is  interest,  and  that  the  Bight  Way  is 

the  only  safe  way  of  conducting  social  inter- 

• 

course.  “  Who  is  he  that  will  harm  you,  if  }-e 
be  followers  of  that  which  is  good  ?”  1  Peter, 

3:13.  “  When  a  maids  ways  please  the  Lord, 

he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with 
him.”  Prov.  16  :  7.  “  Say  not  thou,  I  will 

recompense  evil ;  but  wait  on  the  Lord,  and 
he  shall  save  thee.”  Prov.  20  :  22. 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


65 


IV.  Perhaps  the  most  formidable  objection 
to  the  gospel  method,  is  the  difficulties  which  at¬ 
tend  its  practice. 

Some  of  these  have  been  alluded  to.  The 
chief  one,  however,  and  that  which  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  all  the  rest,  is  the  opposition  it 

encounters  in  our  own  bosoms.  It  mav  be  said 

«/ 

with  truth,  “  The  duties  urged  upon  us  run 
directly  counter  to  our  natural  dispositions. 
Whether  it  be  our  fault  or  our  misfortune,  we 
are  born  into  the  world  with  certain  propensi¬ 
ties  which  clamor  earnestly  for  gratification. 
Such  are  anger,  resentment,  and  the  desire  of 
resisting  evil ;  and  to  act  contrary  to  them 
would  be  to  revolutionize  every  instinct  and 
impulse  of  our  nature.77  But  consider, 

1.  Of  what  religious  duty  may  not  the  same 
thing  be  said  ?  The  impenitent  may  object,  with 
equal  justness,  that  repentance  is  very  hard ; 
and  the  unbeliever,  that  faith  in  Christ  is  un¬ 
natural  to  him,  and  exceedingly  difficult  of  at¬ 
tainment.  Every  sinner  may  urge,  with  truth, 
that  his  heart  is  strongly  averse  to  loving  and 
serving  God.  Of  what  path  of  revealed  duty 
do  not  timid  pilgrims  say,  “There  are  lions  in 
the  way?77  He  who  stops  to  count  the  cost  of 

Right  Way.  5 


66 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


a  religious  life,  will  find  many  a  “hill  Diffi¬ 
culty  77  intervening  between  him  and  the  celes¬ 
tial  city.  Yet  thousands  of  Christians  have 
bravely  surmounted  them  all ;  and  the  whole 
church  militant  is  made  up  of  those  who  are  ' 
grappling  with  and  conquering  difficulties  as 
vast  as  any  that  oppose  our  obedience  to  these 
precepts.  Let  us  place  them  upon  a  level 
with  many  other  duties,  such  as  love  to  God, 
repentance,  faith,  holiness ;  and  ask,  will  not 
the  objection  apply  equally  to  them?  Must 
not  the  objector,  to  be  consistent,  give  up  all 
religion,  and  refusb  to  obey  any  of  the  divine 
precepts  ? 

2.  Great  as  may  be  the  difficulties  in  the 
way,  experience  has  shown  that  they  may  be  over¬ 
come.  Every  reader  can  probably  call  to  mind 
some  trophy  of  divine  grace,  in  whom  the  most 
resentful  dispositions  have  been  rooted  out, 
and  a  heart  of  love  and  forgiveness  implanted 
in  their  stead.  Saul,  the  fierce,  impetuous 
persecutor,  “  breathing  out  threatenings  and 
slaughter  against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord/7 
was  afterwards  enabled  to  say,  “  Being  reviled, 
we  bless  j  being  persecuted,  we  suffer  it ;  being 
defamed,  we  entreat.77  Compare  Acts  9:1,  and 


OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 


67 


1  Cor.  4:12,  13.  The  dying  prayer  of  Christ- 
like  Stephen  was,  “Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to 
their  charge.”  Acts  7  : 60.  It  is  said  that 
James  the  less,  who  suffered  a  martyrdom  sim¬ 
ilar  to  that  of  Stephen,  prayed  for  his  murder¬ 
ers  amid  a  shower  of  stones  which  they  cast  at 
him,  until  one  of  them  beat  out  his  brains  with 
a  fuller's  club.  The  history  of  the  church  of 
God,  and  especially  that  of  the  Christian  mar¬ 
tyrs,  furnishes  numberless  other  instances  of 
the  practical  fulfilment  of  the  precepts,  “  Love 
your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,”  etc. 
They  therefore  have  been  obeyed  ;  and  what 
should  prevent  their  fulfilment  by  every  Chris¬ 
tian  ? 

This  objection,  however  plausible  in  the 
mouth  of  the  ungodly,  comes  with  an  ill  grace 
from  the  Christian.  For,  does  it  not  argue  a 
sad  want  of  confidence  in  that  almighty  Power 
from  whence  he  professes  to  derive  all  his  suf¬ 
ficiency?  It  reveals,  too,  a  glaring  inconsist¬ 
ency  of  religious  practice ;  for  it  virtually  as¬ 
sumes  that  while  divine  grace  can  strengthen 
for  some  kinds  of  duty,  there  are  others  for 
which  it  is  inadequate ;  or  that  while  it  can 
enable  us  to  repent  and  believe,  it  cannot  ena- 


68 


THE  RIGHT  WAY-. 


ble  ns  to  love  our  enemies,  and  forgive  injuries. 
What  wonder  is  it,  if  those  who  thus  practi¬ 
cally  distrust  their  Maker,  should  be  left  to 
feel  their  weakness,  and  be  overcome  by  those 
difficulties  which  they  do  not  rightly  seek  to 
subdue?  Let  them,  however,  lean  upon  that 
arm  which  is  stretched  out  for  their  assistance, 
and  the  obstacles  will  vanish  from  this,  as  they 
do  from  every  other  path  of  duty. 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


69 


CHAPTER  Y. 

MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 

While  there  are  no  objections  which  can 
reasonably  be  urged  against  the  right  way  of 
conducting  intercourse,  there  are  many  strong 
motives  to  its  practice. 

I.  One  of  the  least  of  these  is,  that  personal 
policy  demands  it.  This,  of  itself,  were  an  un¬ 
worthy  motive  to  the  discharge  of  any  duty  ; 
yet  it  is  perhaps  proper  to  notice  it  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  others  which  we  shall  present. 

All  must  have  observed,  in  the  ordinary 
dealings  of  men,  the  power  that  resides  in  a 
bland,  courteous  demeanor.  Whatever  be  the 
object  to  be  gained,  whether  friends,  pleasures, 
honors,  or  riches,  those  are  the  most  successful 
who  are  uniformly  polite,  and  considerate  of 
others’  happiness.  A  smile,  or  a  kind  word, 
will  often  accomplish  more  in  a  person’s  favor 
than  the  most  masterly  stroke  of  cunning.  In 
business  transactions,  the  man  who  controls 
his  passions  has  by  far  the  advantage  of  him 
who  does  not.  A  resentful  disposition  excites 


70 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


distrust,  wherever  it  is  known.  Prudent  men 
avoid  those  who  exhibit  it,  and  in  all  their 
dealings  give  the  preference  to  those  of  mild 
temper,  and  accustomed  to  self-command.  Al¬ 
exander  the  Great,  amid  all  his  bloody  con¬ 
quests,  recognized  the  importance  of  a  kind 
treatment  of  both  friends  and  enemies,  as  the 
best  means  of  furthering  his  ambitious  schemes. 
Being  asked  how  he  had  been  able  at  so  early 
an  age  and  in  so  short  a  period  to  conquer  such 
vast  regions,  and  establish  so  great  a  name,  he 
replied,  “I  used  my  enemies  so  well  that  I 
compelled  them  to  become  my  friends,  and  I 
treated  my  friends  with  such  constant  regard 
that  they  became  unalterably  attached  to  me.’7 
Were  there  no  other  and  loftier  aim  in  life 
than  success,  every  consideration  of  sound  pol¬ 
icy  would  demand  the  cultivation  of  a  kind, 
forbearing,  and  forgiving  disposition.  We 
may  add  to  this  the  motive  of  personal  safety. 
The  conduct  required  of  us,  so  far  from  expos¬ 
ing  to  yet  greater  injury,  is  our  best  safeguard 
against  it.  Resistance  to  wrong  generally 
provokes  to  its  repetition.  The  irritable  and 
impetuous  are  of  all  men  the  most  liable  to  be 
trespassed  against ;  while  they  who  return  good 


■MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


71 


for  evil  convert  their  enemies  into  friends,  and 
make  them  minister  to  their  happiness.  So 
far,  then,  as  regards  the  accomplishment  of  the 
most  selfish  ends,  such  as  our  own  aggrandize¬ 
ment,  and  personal  security,  the  right  way  is 
“  the  best  policy.77 

II.  We  urge  as  another  motive,  our  own  lia¬ 
bility  to  offend ,  and  our  frequent  need  of  forgive¬ 
ness  from  others. 

Who  is  there  that  is  not  sometimes  off  his 
guard,  and  liable  to  be  surprised  into  an  offence 
against  a  fellow-man  ?  What  tongue  is  so  bri¬ 
dled  as  not,  at  times,  unjustly  to  assail  and 
injure  others?  They  who  make  the  highest 
attainments  in  the  religious  life  are  forced  to 

confess,  of  their  relations  both  to  God  and 

/ 

man,  “In  many  things  we  offend  all.77 

This  undeniable  fact  should  have  great 
weight  with  us  in  our  dealings  with  mankind. 
He  who  allows  it  its  proper  influence,  will, 
upon  every  occasion  of  injury  from  another, 
reflect  that  he  may  yet  need  the  kind  forbear¬ 
ance  of  that  very  individual.  He  will  reason 
with  himself  thus :  “  What  am  I,  that  I  should 
resent  an  offence,  or  withhold  forgiveness  from 
a  brother  ?  When  I  have  done  hating,  it  will 


72 


THE  RiaHT  WAY. 


be  time  enough  to  refuse  to  love  ;  when  I  have 
done  sinning,  time  enough  to  be  unforgiving ; 
when  I  do  no  evil,  time  enough  to  resist  evil  ; 
and  when  I  need  not  the  kind  deeds  and  pray¬ 
ers  of  others,  time  enough  to  withhold  them 
from  any.  Until  then,  I  will  be  consistent 
with  myself,  and  forgive,  as  I  would  be  forgiv¬ 
en  either  of  God  or  man.”  Such  is  a  reason¬ 
able  view  of  the  subject,  and  such  are  the 
thoughts  and  resolutions  which  best  become  us. 
The  resentful  man,  while  of  all  others  the  most 
likely  to  give  offence,  is  the  very  last  who 
ought  to  do  so.  For  he  cannot  reasonably  ex¬ 
act  a  treatment  which  he  refuses  to  render ; 
and  he  has  no  right  to  complain  if  all  his  inju¬ 
rious  words  and  actions  are  promptly  retali¬ 
ated.  On  the  other  hand,  he  who,  conscious  of 
his  frailty,  cherishes  a  spirit  of  meekness  and 
long-suffering,  may  with  greater  reason  hope  to 
be  met  with  the  same  spirit.  Our  own  inter¬ 
ests  therefore,  no  less  than  a  manly  consistency 
of  conduct,  demand  that  we  extend  to  those 
injuring  us  that  forgiveness  which  we  ourselves 
may  require. 

III.  Another  motive  may  be  drawn  from  the 
close  connection  which  exists  between  our  forgive- 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


73 


ness  of  one  another ,  and  that  which  we  need  from 
God. 

Our  Lord,  after  teaching  his  disciples  to 
pray,  “  Forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors,”  adds  as  the  reason  of  that  petition, 
“For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your 
heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you ;  but  if 
ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will 
your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses.”  Matt. 
6  : 14, 15.  While  we  are  not  to  understand  by 
these  words  that  the  exercise  of  forgiveness  is 
of  itself  a  procuring  cause  of  the  divine  par¬ 
don,  yet  they  clearly  teach  us  that  it  is  one  of 
those  holy  dispositions  which  are  essential  to 
saving  piety.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
fruits  of  Christian  faith  and  love,  and  an  indis¬ 
pensable  part  of  true  religion.  So  closely  is  it 
connected  with  every  other  Christian  grace, 
that  its  absence  argues  the  absence  of  other 
characteristics  of  genuine  piety.  Those  who 
habitually  fail  to  cherish  it  are  still  under  the 
divine  condemnation.  They  may  loudly  pro¬ 
test  their  faith  in  Christ,  but  their  claims  to  re¬ 
ligion  are  proved  groundless  by  the  fact  that  it 
does  not  inspire  a  forgiveness  of  the  erring. 

What  a  solemn  thought,  and  how  full  of  sug- 


74 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


gestion  to  the  professed  follower  of  Christ! 
No  earthly  blessing  can  be  compared,  in  the 
believer's  estimation,  with  the  divine  forgive¬ 
ness,  neither  can  any  thing  compensate  for  its 
loss.  It  is  the  broad,  firm  basis  upon  which  is 
built  the  whole  edifice  of  his  Christian  hopes 
and  consolations.  To  be  destitute  of  this  is  to 
be  destitute  of  them  all,  and  be  left  to  perish 
under  the  burden  of  unpardoned  guilt,  and  the 
crushing  weight  of  the  “  wrath  to  come."  They 
who  are  aware  of  a  tithe  of  the  blessings  for 
which  they  ask  in  the  prayer,  “  Forgive  us  our 
debts,"  will  perceive  that  it  is  no  ordinary  mo¬ 
tive  to  forgiveness  that  is  here  held  out. 

A  fellow-passenger  of  John  Wesley  in  his 
voyage  to  America,  after  relating  to  him  a 
provocation  which  he  had  just  received  from 
his  servant,  said,  “  I  will  be  revenged  on  him. 
The  rascal  should  have  taken  care  how  he  used 
me  so ,  for  I  never  forgive.”  “Then  I  hope,  sir," 
replied  Wesley,  “ you  never  sin”  The  rebuke 
was  a  just  one,  and  will  apply  with  equal  force 
to  all  who  cherish  a  similar  spirit.  He  whose 
heart  is  closed  in  frequent  resentment  against 
his  fellow-men,  must  expect  that  the  heart  of 
God  will  be  closed  against  his  entreaties ;  while 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGrHT  WAY. 


75 


lie  whose  heart  expands  with  love  to  all  men, 
and  who  receives  his  trespassing  brother  to  its 
cordial  embrace,  and  then  prays,  “Forgive  us 
our  debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors ”  may  hope¬ 
fully  listen  for  the  voice  of  his  pardoning  Fa¬ 
ther,  “Son,  be  of  good  cheer;  thy  sins  be  for¬ 
given  thee”  “With  the  merciful,  thou  wilt 
show  thvself  merciful.”  Psa.  18:25.  “With 

V 

what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged  ; 
and  with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again.”  Matt.  7:2. 

IY.  Another  motive  to  the  right  way  may 
be  drawn  from  its  happy  influence  upon  the  cause 
of  Christianity . 

To  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  re¬ 
quirements  of  the  gospel,  the  frequent  practice 
of  Christians  appears  grossly  inconsistent. 
The  infidel  narrowly  scans  the  conduct  of  the 
church  with  reference  to  her  acknowledged 
duties,  and  pronounces  her  professions  sincere 
or  otherwise  in  the  proportion  in  which  she 
discharges  them.  He  reads  the  divine  code 
by  which  we  say  that  we  are  guided,  and  turn¬ 
ing  from  it  to  our  actual  conduct,  defies  us  to 
point  to  its  fulfilment.  He  eagerly  adopts  the 
maxim  of  holy  writ,  “By  their  fruits  ye  shall 


76 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


know  them,”  and  arguing  from  evident  discrep¬ 
ancies  between  profession  and  practice,  im¬ 
presses  his  fiendish  principles  upon  many  a 
doubting  mind.  How  shall  such  arguments  be 
met  and  refuted?  Only  by  a  practical  conform¬ 
ity  to  our  ack?iowledged  standard ,  the  word  of  God. 
Let  Christians  be  consistent  with  their  profes¬ 
sions,  be  actuated  by  the  enlarged  charity 
which  is  required  of  them,  and  exhibit  on 
every  occasion  the  spirit  of  love  and  forbear¬ 
ance,  and  their  simple  discharge  of  known  duty 
will  be  the  means  of  rearing  such  a  bulwark 
of  defence  that  “  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre¬ 
vail  against”  them.  So  doing,  they  will  wipe 
away  a  reproach  which  has  long  adhered  to 
them,  and  remove  many  a  stumbling-block  from 
the  path  of  the  ungodly. 

Such  a  course  of  conduct  would  also  ad¬ 
vance  the  interests  of  Christianity,  by  its  exhi¬ 
bition  to  others  of  the  most  beautiful  traits  of  true 
religion.  As  a  missionary  was  once  preaching 
in  a  chapel  to  a  crowd  of  Hindoos,  a  strong 
native  aimed  a  blow  at  him  from  behind  the 
desk,  intending  to  knock  him  down.  Happily, 
it  fell  on  his  shoulders,  and  did  him  but  little 
injury.  The  hearers,  however,  enraged  at  the 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


77 


offender,  seized  him,  and  secured  his  person. 
“Now,  what  shall  I  do  with  him?’7  asked  the 
missionary.  “  Give  him  a  good  beating/7  said 
some.  “Send  him  to  the  judge,77  cried  others, 
“  and  he  will  receive  two  years7  hard  labor  on 
the  roads.77  “I  cannot  follow  }rour  advice,77 
he  replied.  “My  religion  commands  me  to 
love  my  enemies,  and  to  do  good  to  those  who 
treat  me  injuriously.77  Then  addressing  the 
culprit,  he  said,  “  I  forgive  you  from  my  heart ; 
but  never  forget  that  you  owe  your  escape  from 
punishment  to  that  Jesus  whom  you  persecuted 
in  me.77  The  effect  of  this  scene  upon  the  Hin¬ 
doos  is  described  as  having  been  most  impres¬ 
sive.  “  They  saw  it  and  marvelled  ;  and  unable 
longer  to  keep  silence,  they  sprang  on  their 
feet  and  shouted,  ‘Victory  to  Jesus  Christ! 
Victory  to  Jesus  Christ!7  77  The  general  exhi¬ 
bition  of  such  a  spirit  would  do  much  towards 
placing  religion  in  its  true  light  before  the 
world,  as  in  every  way  lovely  and  attractive, 
and  as  eminently  practical,  and  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  society.  It  would  go  far  towards 
achieving  throughout  the  earth  the  victory 
which  it  accomplished  in  the  Indian  mission 
chapel,  “  Victory  to  Jesus  Christ  I'1 


78 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


Y.  Another  powerful  motive  to  these  duties 
is  afforded  by  the  divine  example . 

This  is  made  use  of  by  our  Saviour  in  his  ser¬ 
mon  upon  the  mount.  After  exhorting,  “  Love 
your  enemies/’  etc.,  he  adds  as  the  reason  of 
his  exhortation,  “  That  ye  may  be  the  children 
of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  ;  for  he  mak- 
eth  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.” 
Matt.  5  :  45.  In  closing  this  branch  of  his  pre¬ 
cepts,  he  says,  “  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect.” 
Matt.  5:48.  In  several  other  passages,  God  is 
thus  held  up  as  our  pattern:  “Be  ye  therefore 
merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful.” 
Luke  6  :  86.  “Be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  ten¬ 
der-hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God 
for  Christ’s  sake  hath  forgiven  you.”  Eph. 
4  :  32.  “  Be  ye  therefore  followers  of  God  as 

dear  children.”  Eph.  5  : 1. 

In  this,  as  in  every  other  respect,  God  is  the 
example  of  his  people.  It  is  the  part  of  his 
children  to  study  carefully  his  spirit  and  con¬ 
duct,  and  aim  at  the  closest  conformity  to  it. 
What  is  that  spirit  and  conduct  ?  Let  the  expe¬ 
rience  of  all  the  ungodly  answer.  They  abuse  his 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY.  79 

mercies,  spurn  liis  offers  of  forgiveness,  and 
despise,  reject,  and  crucify  his  Son.  How  does 
the  insulted  Jehovah  respond  to  such  treat¬ 
ment?  Does  he  whet  his  “glittering  sword/’ 
and  his  “hand  take  hold  on  judgment?”  Thus 
he  might  justly  do ;  but,  instead  of  it,  he  for¬ 
bears  and  entreats,  and  “all  day  long” 
stretches  forth  his  hands  “unto  a  disobedient 
and  gainsaying  people ;”  still  calls,  although 
men  refuse,  still  stretches  out  his  hand,  al¬ 
though  no  man  regards  it.  See  Rom.  10  : 21, 
and  Prov.  1  :  24.  “He  hath  not  dealt  with  us 
after  our  sins,  nor  rewarded  us  according  to  our 
iniquities.”  Psa.  103  : 10.  “It  is  of  the  Lord’s 
mercies  that  we  are  not  consumed,  because 
his  compassions  fail  not.”  Lam.  3  :  22.  What 
spirit  does  God  manifest  ?  Let  the  experience  of 
the  forgiven  sinner  answer.  With  the  cry  of 
David,  “Mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  .my 
head :  as  a  heavy  burden  they  are  too  heavy 
for  me and  with  the  prayer,  “  God  be  merci¬ 
ful  to  me  a  sinner,”  he  has  bowed  before  his 
Maker,  and  obtained  the  free  pardon  of  his 
crimes,  and  the  blessing  of  eternal  life.  The 
whole  tenor  of  God’s  dealings  with  our  race  ex¬ 
hibits  a  forbearance  so  great,  and  a  long-suffer- 


80 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


in g  so  protracted,  that  no  words  can  adequately 
express  it.  We  can  only  say  of  it,  it  is  divine. 
All  experience  concurs  in  the  testimony  of  rev¬ 
elation,  that  he  is  “  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and 
gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  good¬ 
ness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands, 
forgiving  iniquity,  and  transgression,  and  sin.” 
Exod.  34  :  6,  7. 

If,  then,  there  be  any  force  in  the  divine  ex¬ 
ample — if  God  be  the  pattern  of  his  children, 
and  it  be  our  duty  to  resemble  him — and  if  there 
be  any  virtue,  any  happiness,  any  glory  in  being 
godlike,  what  a  motive  to  the  right  way  is 
here  afforded!  It  is  the  divine  way ;  and  we 
appeal  to  all  those  who  aim  at  any  degree  of 
conformity  to  their  Maker,  to  imitate  him  in 
these  respects.  “Be  ye  therefore  followers  of 
God,  as  dear  children.” 

We  would  draw  another  motive  from  the 
divine  example  as  displayed  in  the  person  of  Christ. 
This  motive  is  made  use  of  by  our  Lord  him¬ 
self.  He  says,  “  A  new  commandment  I  give 
unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another  ;  as  I  have 
loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.” 
John  13:34.  Paul  exhorts,  “Even  as  Christ 
forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye.”  Colos.  3  : 18. 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


81 


“Walk  in  love,  as  Christ  also  hath  loved  us.” 
Eph.  5  :  2.  Another  apostle  says,  “  Christ  also 
suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an  example  that 
ye  should  follow  in  his  steps :  who  when  he 
was  reviled,  reviled  not  again ;  when  he  suf¬ 
fered,  he  threatened  not ;  but  committed  him¬ 
self  to  him  that  judgeth  righteously.”  1  Pet. 
2  :  21,  23. 

The  life  of  Christ  was  a  practical  fulfilment 
of  his  own  precepts.  He  faithfully  trod  that 
path  which  he  marked  out  for  others,  and  con¬ 
secrated  every  step  with  his  own  toils  and  suf¬ 
ferings,  and  finally  with  his  blood.  His  whole 
recorded  history  is  a  proof  of  the  practical  pur¬ 
port  of  his  teachings,  and  of  their  applicability 
to  every-day  life.  His  very  entrance  into  the 
world  under  a  human  form  was  an  act  of  love 
to  enemies.  All  his  toils  and  trials  were  un¬ 
dergone  with  a  direct  view  to  the  procuring  of 
blessings  for  those  who  hated  him.  His  walk 
through  life  was  a  perpetual  exhibition  of  long- 
suffering  ;  for  even  when  not  assailed  in  per¬ 
son,  he  was,  as  God,  constantly  blasphemed  and 
disobeyed.  Besides,  however,  this  general  dis¬ 
play  of  kind  dispositions,  the  treatment  to 

which  he  was  subjected  while  on  earth  afforded 

r. 


Fij 


82 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


many  particular  occasions  for  their  exercise. 
“He  was  oppressed  and  he  was  afflicted,  yet 
he  opened  not  his  mouth :  he  is  brought  as  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  before 
her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his 
mouth.”  Isa.  53  :  7.  Patiently  he  submitted 
to  every  indignity  that  the  furious  rabble  chose 
to  heap  upon  him — offering  no  resistance  to  the 
cross,  the  thorns,  the  nails,  the  spear — praying 
at  the  last,  “  Father,  forgive  them/7  and  then 
pouring  out  his  life’s  blood  for  the  sake  of  those 
wdio  murdered  him.  Never  was  there  so  sub¬ 
lime  a  fulfilment  of  the  precept,  “  Love  your 
enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which 
despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you.” 

“  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him,  ought  him¬ 
self  also  so  to  walk,  even  as  he  walked.”  1  John, 
2:6.  Let  the  view  of  his  bright  example  im¬ 
pel  every  Christian  to  its  imitation.  With  our 
eyes  fixed  upon  our  glorious  pattern,  so  lovely 
in  his  meek  endurance,  let  us  “  consider  him  that 
endured  such  contradiction  of  sinners  against 
himself,  lest  we  be  wearied  and  faint  in  our 
minds.”  Heb.  12:3.  Did  He  who  might  have 
called  down  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  his 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


83 


persecutors,  choose  rather  to  weep,  and  pray, 
and  bleed  for  them  ?  So,  when  the  blood  boils 
under  an  aggravated  insult  or  injury,  and  the 
harsh  reply  hovers  upon  the  lip,  let  the  thought 
of  Jesus  change  the  bitter  murmur  into  a  for¬ 
giving  prayer.  Let  us  press  forward  in  his 
sacred  footsteps,  rejoicing  that  our  path  to 
glory  is  so  much  like  his.  So  doing,  we  shall 
not  grope  in  the  dark,  for  his  every  step  has 
left  its  impression,  distinct  and  ineffaceable ; 
and  the  clear  strong  light  of  inspiration  shines 
always  upon  them,  and  in  revealing  his  path¬ 
way  is  “  a  lamp  to  our  feet,  and  a  light  to  our 
path.”  It  is  the  height  of  the  believer’s  aspi¬ 
rations,  and  will  be  the  consummation  of  his 
glory,  to  be  11  like  him”  Let  us,  by  the  culti¬ 
vation  of  those  affections  and  dispositions  which 
he  manifested,  “walk  even  as  he  walked;”  and 
at  length,  our  hearts  rid  of  all  anger,  malice, 
and  resentment,  and  glowing  with  ardent,  uni¬ 
versal  love  to  God  and  man,  “  when  he  shall 
appear  we  shall  be  like  him:  for  we  shall  see  him 
as  he  is.” 

VI.  The  strongest  motive  of  all  to  the  prac¬ 
tice  of  the  right  way,  is  the  fact  that  God  has 
commanded  it. 


84 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


The  precepts  before  ns  form  a  prominent  part 
of  God’s  revealed  will.  That  will  is  the  law 
of  the  universe,  and  the  only  correct  rule  of 
human  duty.  Its  demands,  whether  admitted 
or  denied  by  men — nay,  even  if  opposed  by  a 
world  in  arms — God  will  in  no  instance  repeal 
or  modify.  They  come  to  us  clothed  with  the 
sanction  of  the  divine  authority,  and  command 
our  absolute,  uncompromising  obedience.  Al¬ 
mighty  power  stands  ready  to  enforce  them, 
and  the  whole  character  of  God  assures  us  that 
he  will  not  permit  them  to  be  violated  with 
impunity.  In  dealing  with  our  Maker,  it  is  not 
our  part  to  question,  but  implicitly  to  obey.  It 
is  a  sufficient  reason  for  these  precepts,  and  for 
our  obedience  to  them,  that  God  is  their  author. 
When  weighed  against  his  command,  every 
consideration  of  difficulty,  danger,  or  irksome¬ 
ness  is  of  no  account  whatever.  A  simple 
“  thus  saith  the  Lord”  answers  every  objection, 
solves  every  mystery,  and  leaves  us  nothing  to 
do  but  to  hear  and  obey. 

The  duty  of  love,  when  viewed  in  its  largest 
sense,  comprehends  the  whole  of  the  divine  law. 
“  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law.”  Rom.  13:10. 
The  various  precepts  growing  out  of  it  occupy, 


MOTIVES  TO  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


85 


as  we  liave  seen,  a  very  prominent  place  in  the 
gospel,  where  their  frequent  and  emphatic  utter¬ 
ance  characterizes  them  as  important  features 
of  the  Christian  religion.  Like  bright,  golden 
threads,  they  are  inwrought  with  the  whole  sys¬ 
tem  of  revealed  truth,  and  we  cannot  remove 
them  from  it  without  marring  almost  every  page. 
They  force  themselves  upon  the  attention  of 
even  the  most  careless  reader  of  the  Bible,  and 
arrest  our  gaze  far  more  frequently  than  many 
other  truths  to  which  the  church  has  assigned 
a  more  prominent  place  in  its  creeds  and  prac¬ 
tice.  They  are  uttered,  too,  in  language  which 
we  cannot  misunderstand,  and  clothed  with  an 
authority  which  we  must  not  disregard.  And 
they  have  lost  none  of  their  binding  power  in 
the  lapse  of  centuries.  Though  so  much  neg¬ 
lected,  and  by  many  despised,  they  yet  stand 
forth  to  the  eye  of  every  Bible  reader,  their 
penalties  unrevoked,  a  silent  but  powerful  re¬ 
proof  to  all  who  disobey  them.  Thus  they  shall 
stand  for  ever,  occupying  a  place  in  the  system 
of  religion  from  which  they  cannot  be  wrested, 
and  however  overlooked  or  kept  in  the  back¬ 
ground,  addressing  men  as  authoritatively  as 
any  other  of  God’s  commands. 


86 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


Need  we  say  more  to  commend  them  to  the 
Christian  ?  What  higher  motive  to  their  prac¬ 
tice  can  be  desired?  Even  were  our  obedience 
to  them  encompassed  with  tenfold  greater  diffi¬ 
culties;  nay,  were  it  to  subject  us  to  death 
itself,  the  fact  that  God  commands  it  should  out¬ 
weigh  all  other  considerations,  and  impel  us  to 
that  obedience.  We  therefore  urge  this  as  of 
itself  a  sufficient  motive.  If  we  have  present¬ 
ed  others,  it  is  not  because  we  thought  them 
necessary,  but  because  they  might  influence 
some  minds  which  do  not  sufficiently  recognize 
the  divine  authority.  The  true  disciple  should 
require  no  other  incentive  to  duty  than  the  re¬ 
vealed  will  of  God.  This  incentive  we  unques¬ 
tionably  have  with  regard  to  the  duties  of  the 
Right  Way. 


THE  FAMILY. 


87 


CHAPTER  VI. 

APPLICATION  OF  THE  RIGHT  WAY. 

It  has  been  the  misfortune  of  many,  that 
while  accepting  these  precepts  as  divine,  they 
have  at  the  same  time  regarded  them  rather  as 
general  expressions  of  duty  than  as  specific 
commands.  For  this  reason  they  have  failed 
to  apply  them  to  all  the  ordinary  circumstances 
and  connections  of  social  life.  Yet  they  were 
formed  with  reference  to  them  all,  and  are  de¬ 
signed  to  be  our  guide  in  every  relation  of  man 
to  man.  We  shall  now  exhibit  the  mode  of 
applying  them  to  the  intercourse  of  individuals , 
in  the  family,  the  neighborhood,  and  the  church. 
The  mode  of  their  application  to  the  intercourse 
of  nations ,  will  be  considered  in  the  second  part 
of  this  work. 

I.  The  family.  If  there  be  any  bond  in 
life  which  ought  to  be  sacredly  guarded  from 
every  thing  that  can  put  it  in  peril,  it  is  that 
which  unites  the  members  of  a  family.  If 
there  be  a  spot  upon  earth  from  which  discord 
and  strife  should  be  banished,  it  is  the  fireside. 


88 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


There  centre  the  fondest  hopes  and  the  most 
tender  affections.  It  is  the  heart’s  lower  home , 
where,  more  than  in  any  other  place,  it  is  to  be 
fitted  for  the  upper  mansions  of  our  Father’s 
house.  Of  all  the  different  kinds  of  human  in¬ 
tercourse,  none  is  capable  of  conferring  so  much 
enjoyment  when  rightly  improved,  nor  can  any 
be  made  so  great  a  source  of  wretchedness  when 
perverted.  Its  members  being  thrown  into  per¬ 
petual  contact,  and  to  a  great  degree  mutually 
dependent,  it  is  in  the  power  of  each  to  pro¬ 
mote  or  destroy  the  peace  of  all  the  others. 
For  this  and  other  reasons  which  will  readily 
suggest  themselves,  there  is  no  relation  in  life 
which  so  imperatively  demands  the  practice  of 
the  right  way. 

1.  It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  the  gos¬ 
pel  method  regulate  the  intercourse  of  husband 
and  wife.  How  often  is  this  most  hallowed  and 
endearing  of  human  relationships  imbittered  by 
the  practice  of  the  wrong  way  on  the  part  of 
one  or  both  of  them.  A  slight  misunderstand¬ 
ing  is  perhaps  allowed  to  go  unexplained,  or  an 
offence  unforgiven.  Then  affections  are  es¬ 
tranged,  doubts  and  suspicions  excited,  peace 
banished  from  the  once  happy  home,  and  two 


THE  FAMILY. 


89 


hearts  weighed  down  under  a  life-long  grief. 
A  single  word  of  pardon,  or  a  meek  submis¬ 
sion  to  injury,  or  a  “  soft  answer,”  or  a  prayer, 
might  in  the  first  instance  have  prevented  this 
wide  breach.  But  by  some  strange  infatuation, 
the  cloud  that  was  “no  bigger  than  a  man’s 
hand”  is  permitted  to  grow  until  it  blackens 
the  whole  horizon  of  their  lives,  and  beats  in 
pelting  storms  upon  their  heads.  The  result  of 
such  a  course  is  often  seen  in  the  doom  of  the 
wretched  inebriate,  who  seeks  to  drown  his 
trials  in  his  cups,  and  to  find  in  the  vicious  and 
profligate  that  sympathy  which  his  home  has 
ceased  to  afford  him.  Often  too  it  pales  the 
cheek  and  wmstes  the  life  of  her  whom  the  hus¬ 
band  had  sworn  to  cherish,  and  whose  outraged 
nature  sinks  under  the  wreck  of  its  fond  affec¬ 
tions. 

Let  the  law  of  love  be  made  the  aosolute,  in¬ 
violable  law  of  home,  and  the  trusty  guardian 
of  its  joys.  By  a  uniform  mildness  of  temper 
and  demeanor ;  by  an  habitual  forbearance  and 
conciliation ;  by  a  constant  readiness  to  yield, 
forgive,  or  patiently  endure  ;  by  a  studied  avoid¬ 
ance  of  all  cause  for  provocation,  whether  great 
or  small,  upon  either  side;  by  maintaining  a 


90 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


scrupulous  watch  upon  both  heart  and  tongue ; 
by  instantly  banishing  every  beginning  of  strife, 
as  they  would  a  viper,  from  their  bosoms ;  in 
short,  by  the  cultivation,  at  any  cost,  of  sweet, 
amiable  dispositions,  let  both  husband  and  wife 
promote  their  mutual  harmony,  and  cement  the 
bonds  which  unite  them.  “  Wives,  submit  your¬ 
selves  unto  your  own  husbands,  as  it  is  fit  in 
the  Lord,”  Col.  8:18;  “whose  adorning,  let  it 
not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  of  the 
hair,  and  of  wearing  of  gold,  or  of  putting  on 
of  apparel ;  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the 
heart,  in  that  which  is  not  corruptible,  even  the 
ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is 
in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price.”  1  Peter 
3  :  3,  4.  “  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as 

Christ  also  loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself 
for  it.”  Eph.  5  :  25.  “  Husbands,  love  your 

wives,  and  be  not  bitter  against  them.”  Col. 
3:19. 

2.  The  precepts  of  the  gospel  should  also 
govern  the  intercourse  of  parents  and  children. 
Suppose  a  child  has  disobeyed  or  otherwise 
injured  his  parent.  Which  course  of  conduct 
will  best  influence  him  to  repentance  and  obe¬ 
dience — a  passionate,  threatening  demeanor,  or 


THE  FAMILY. 


91 


one  of  love  and  kindness?  Both  observation 
and  experience  show  that  while  the  one  course 
would  only  exasperate  the  little  culprit,  and 
render  him  sullen  and  hateful,  the  other  would 
in  most  instances  subdue  his  rebellious  feelings, 
and  restore  him  to  a  spirit  of  filial  affection. 
We  are  not  now  speaking  of  the  propriety  of 
chastisement — this  is  by  no  means  inconsistent 
with  a  loving  and  forgiving  conduct.  But  the 
parent  should  see  to  it  that  neither  his  rebuke 
nor  his  punishment  displays  any  spirit  of  re¬ 
sentment.  There  are  occasions  when  the  lan¬ 
guage  of  Socrates  to  his  offending  servant  might 
well  fill  the  lips  of  parents,  “  I  would  whip  thee, 
but  that  I  am  angry”  The  child’s  quick  ear 
can  readily  detect  the  tone  and  manner  of  re¬ 
venge,  and  he  will  not  be  slow  to  imitate  it. 
He  can  also  soon  discover  the  accent  of  tender, 
yet  sorrowing  love,  which  in  forgiving  most 
clearly  shows  how  it  has  been  aggrieved ;  and 
his  heart  will  penitently  respond  to  it,  and  bow, 
melted,  under  its  influence.  No  circumstances 
can  justify  retaliatory  conduct  towards  a  child. 
Those  who  would  not  rashly  trample  upon  every 
fine  affection  of  its  budding  nature,  will  be  care¬ 
ful  to  avoid  every  thing  approaching  to  it,  either 


92 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


in  word  or  action.  “  Fathers,  provoke  not  your 
children  to  anger,  lest  they  be  discouraged.” 
Col.  3  : 21. 

3.  These  principles  are  equally  applicable  to 
the  intercourse  of  the  younger  members  of  the 
family.  In  those  petty  strifes  which  so  often 
mark  their  youthful  sports,  there  are  frequent 
occasions  for  exercising  the  spirit  required  of 
us.  Indeed,  they  who  are  taught  to  improve 
all  such  opportunities  will  have  acquired  in 
early  life  habits  of  forbearance  and  self-control 
which  will  attend  them  in  after-years,  and  prove 
to  them  a  powerful  safeguard. 

We  would  therefore  urge  upon  the  youthful 
reader  the  importance  of  practising  the  right 
way.  The  young  sometimes  think  it  manly  to 
be  resentful  and  passionate,  and  to  carry  them¬ 
selves  in  a  blustering,  threatening  manner  tow¬ 
ards  all  who  displease  them.  Such  conduct  is 
not  manly,  but  brutish ;  and  is  it  not  better, 
nobler,  happier,  to  be  like  God  and  Christ  and 
angels,  than  like  snarling  brutes?  As  none 
are  too  young  to  offend,  so  none  are  too  young 
to  forgive.  It  is  in  the  power  of  every  youth 
or  child  to  fulfil  the  duties  which  form  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  this  volume.  Let  such  try  to  obey  the 


THE  FAMILY. 


93 


gospel  rules,  and  begin  early  to  walk  in  these 
ways  of  “  pleasantness  ”  and  paths  of  “  peace.7’ 
When  any  thing  is  done  by  another  to  vex  or 
irritate  you,  think,  “  here  is  an  opportunity  to  im¬ 
itate  God  and  Christ,”  and  then  answer  it  with 
kind  words,  and  try  to  love,  forgive,  and  bless 
your  enemy.  In  all  your  sports  or  labors,  at 
home,  at  school,  or  by  the  way  ;  whether  with 
parents,  brothers  and  sisters,  or  playmates,  seek 
to  give  offence  to  none,  and  if  injured  to  show 
that  you  are  above  resenting  it.  Resolve  that 
whatever  others  may  do,  you  will  do  right. 
Thus  obey  God,  and  make  yourselves  and  all 
about  you  happy. 

Look  at  the  family  in  which  the  gospel  pre¬ 
cepts  are  disregarded.  It  is  a  scene  of  con¬ 
stant  turmoil.  If  one  of  its  members  chances 
to  offend  another,  angry  feelings  are  at  once 
aroused,  abusive  words  quickly  follow,  and 
perhaps  they  come  to  blows.  Roth  are  made 
ashamed  and  unhappy  by  yielding  to  the  enemy 
that  is  in  their  own  bosoms.  Discords  are  per¬ 
petually  occurring  ;  the  din  of  noisy  strife  pre¬ 
vails  ;  and  they  who  should  be  all  loving  and 
forbearing  are,  instead  of  it,  envious  and  spite¬ 
ful.  Peace  is  almost  a  stranger  there,  while 


94 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


evil  passions  make  it  their  home,  and  the  demon 
of  strife  reigns  triumphantly.  How  lovely,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  spectacle  presented  by  that 
family  which  is  governed  by  the  right  spirit. 
Each  strives  to  avoid  giving  offence,  and  is 
studiously  considerate  of  the  others’  happiness. 
If,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  one  injures  another, 
it  is  but  the  work  of  an  instant  to  ask  and  re¬ 
ceive  forgiveness.  Sweet,  loving  dispositions 
are  cultivated  by  all,  and  each  tries  to  surpass 
the  other  in  his  efforts  for  the  common  harmony. 
Smiles  of  affection  and  delight  beam  upon  every 
face ;  each  voice  is  schooled  to  tones  of  kind¬ 
ness  ;  each  heart  glows  with  love  ;  and  the  ben¬ 
ediction  of  heavenly  'peace  seems  to  abide  upon 
that  dwelling  with  such  power  that  no  black 
fiend  of  passion  dare  rear  his  head  within  it. 
It  is  like  a  concord  of  sweetest  music,  without 
one  jarring  note  to  mar  its  perfect  harmony. 
It  is  like  heaven,  where  the  angels  of  God  de¬ 
light  in  the  eternal  flow  of  mutual  affection, 
and  are  happy  in  for  ever  loving  God  and  one 
another. 

Who  would  not  realize  this  lovely  picture? 
It  may  be  realized  by  all  who  will  employ  the 
appointed  means.  Let  the  precepts  of  the  gos- 


THE  NEIGHBORHOOD. 


95 


pel  be  applied  as  they  are  designed  to  be ;  let 
them  be  inculcated  upon  eyery  member  of  the 
family  and  enforced  by  a  winning  example; 
and  they  will  be  found  to  shed  a  holy  charm 
upon  the  home  which  they  govern,  and  to  make 
the  family  circle  what  God  designed  that  it 
should  be,  the  most  heaven-like  scene  upon 
earth. 

II.  Looking  now  at  a  wider  sphere  of  human 
intercourse,  let  us  consider  the  application  of 
these  principles  to  the  neighborhood. 

The  natural  tastes  and  instincts  of  men  im¬ 
pel  them  to  group  together,  and  dwell  near  each 
other.  A  peculiar  relationship  grows  up  be¬ 
tween  the  families  thus  connected,  which,  like 
every  other  human  tie,  involves  mutual  inter¬ 
ests,  imposes  mutual  obligations,  and  is  a  pow¬ 
erful  instrument  of  mutual  happiness  or  misery. 
To  which  of  these  it  ministers  depends  upon 
the  principles  that  govern  it.  All  are  familiar 
with  the  meaning  of  the  common  expressions, 
“  a  good  neighbor/7  and  “  a  bad  neighbor  ;77  and 
all  know  what  is  that  kind  of  conduct  which 
renders  a  man  the  one  or  the  other.  It  is  gen¬ 
erally  the  case  that  the  passionate,  resentful  man 
is  a  curse  to  all  who  are  about  him ;  while  he 


96 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


who  is  kind  and  forbearing,  is  esteemed  a  bless¬ 
ing  to  the  community. 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  the  interests  of 
neighbors  will  sometimes  clash,  and  that  self¬ 
ishness.  envy,  or  scandal  will  occasionally  fo¬ 
ment  dissensions  between  them.  What  course 
is  to  be  pursued  under  such  circumstances? 
Suppose  one  neighbor  has  encroached  upon  the 
rights  of  another ;  shall  the  injured  one  avenge 
himself  by  a  similar  encroachment?  He  will 
only  thereby  plunge  into  yet  deeper  difficulties, 
and  subject  himself  to  a  repetition  of  the  of¬ 
fence.  His  act  of  retaliation  will  be  likely  to 
recoil  upon  himself.  Or  shall  he  resort  to  the 
arm  of  the  law,  and  bring  its  weight  to  bear 
upon  the  offender?  In  aggravated  cases,  and 
when  rendered  necessary  in  order  to  protection 
or  redress,  this  is  a  justifiable  method ;  but 
when  resorted  to  as  a  means  of  revenge,  and 
for  the  gratification  of  malignant  feelings,  it 
is  unquestionably  the  wrong  way .  The  gospel 
method  is  the  only  one  which  can  be  adopted 
with  advantage  to  either  party.  In  demanding 
that  the  aggression  be  not  resented,  it  discloses 
the  means  best  calculated  to  allay  strife,  and 
secure  the  ends  of  truth  and  right.  The  neigh- 


THE  NEIGHBORHOOD. 


97 


bor  who  obeys  its  precepts  will  “resist  not 
evil/7  but  “overcome  evil  with  good.'7  If  injur¬ 
ed,  he  will  frankly  state  his  grievances  to  the 
offender,  as  soon  as  he  can  do  so  with  no  feel¬ 
ing  or  tone  of  bitterness,  and  courteously  ask 
redress.  Yet  he  will  be  careful  to  assure  him 
that  he  cherishes  no  ill-will,  and  is  ready  to  for¬ 
give  and  forget  the  past,  and  still  to  extend  to 
him  the  hand  of  cordial  friendship.  Especially 
will  he  watch  for  an  opportunity  to  prove  his 
kind  feelings  by  rendering  him  “  good  for  evil.77 
So  doing,  he  will  promote  his  own  interests, 
and  those  of  his  neighbor  and  of  the  commu¬ 
nity,  and  bind  the  offender  to  himself  in  friend¬ 
ship  more  firm  than  ever. 

A  horse  belonging  to  a  pious  man  having 
once  strayed  into  the  road,  a  neighbor  sent  him 
to  the  pound.  Meeting  the  owner  soon  after¬ 
wards,  he  told  him  what  he  had  done,  and  add¬ 
ed,  “If  I  catch  him  in  the  road  again,  1 711  do 
it  again.77  “Neighbor,77  said  the  other,  “not 
long  since  I  looked  out  of  my  wdndow  in  the 
night,  and  saw  your  cattle  in  my  meadow,  and 
I  drove  them  out  and  shut  them  in  your  yard ; 
and  I’ll  do  it  again:’’  Struck  with  the  reply, 
the  man  liberated  the  horse,  paid  the  charges 

Right  Way.  7 


98 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


himself,  and  to  this  Christian  at  least,  was  ever 
after  a  “  good  neighbor.”  In  how  many  instan¬ 
ces  is  a  course  quite  contrary  to  this  pursued. 
An  accidental  breaking  down  of  a  fence,  or  stray¬ 
ing  of  cattle,  or  a  slight  difference  in  regard  to 
boundaries,  or  some  petty  trespass,  over  which 
neither,  perhaps,  had  any  control,  has  some¬ 
times  involved  two  parties  in  a  tedious  and  ex¬ 
pensive  litigation  from  whose  effects  they  never 
recovered  ;  yet  which  might  all  have  been  avoid¬ 
ed  by  the  exercise  of  a  little  forbearance  upon 
either  side.  Whole  communities  have  been 
thus  kept  for  years  in  a  ferment  by  the  ungov¬ 
ernable  passions  of  one  or  two  of  their  mem¬ 
bers.  Were  any  neighborhood  to  be  made  up 
entirely  of  such  persons,  it  would  be  little  else 
than  a  pandemonium,  an  abode  of  all  evil  spir¬ 
its,  who  would  keep  society  in  a  state  of  per¬ 
petual  discord.  On  the  other  hand,  were  there 
one  whose  members  were  all  loving,  forgiv¬ 
ing,  and  forbearing,  “in  honor  preferring  one 
another,”  and  mutually  solicitous  of  the  com¬ 
mon  good  and  the  preservation  of  peace,  it 
would  indeed  be  a  favored  spot.  Kind  deeds 
and  warm,  generous  sympathies  would  flow 
from  hand  to  hand  and  from  heart  to  heart, 


THE  CHURCH. 


99 


and  the  only  strife  would  "be  as  to  which  could 
best  promote  the  happiness  of  all.  Such  a 
neighborhood  would  be  comparatively  free 
from  those  petty  contentions  which  are  now 
the  bane  of  so  many,  would  invite  prosperity, 
and  would  secure  to  its  members  many  invalu¬ 
able  blessings. 

III.  These  precepts  are  designed  for  an  es¬ 
pecial  application  to  the  church  op  god,  or  to 
the  intercourse  of  Christians  with  one  another. 

“ A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that 
ye  love  one  another  ;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that 
ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men 
know  that  ve  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love 
one  to  another.”  John  13  :34,  35.  “Be  kindly 
affectioned  one  to  another  with  brotherly  love  ; 
in  honor  preferring  one  another.”  Rom.  12  : 10. 
“  See  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart 
fervently.”  1  Pet.  1 :  22.  “  Above  all  things 

have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves ;  for 
charity  shall  cover  the  multitude  of  sins.”  1 
Pet.  4:8.  “We  know  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the  breth¬ 
ren.  He  that  loveth  not  his  brother  abideth  in 
death.  Whosoever  liateth  his  brother  is  a  mur¬ 
derer:  and  ye  know  that  no  murderer  hath 


100 


THE  EIGrHT  WAY. 


eternal  life  abiding  in  him.”  1  John  3:14, 
15. 

We  commend  these  passages  to  the  earnest 
consideration  of  the  Christian  reader.  The 
precept  “  love  one  another  ”  comes  to  us  from  one 
who  has  an  undoubted  right  to  impose  it,  and 
with  all  the  authority  of  “a  new  command¬ 
ment.”  All  must  acknowledge  its  justness,  and 
its  binding  force  as  a  divine  obligation.  The 
gospel,  however,  not  only  insists  upon  love  as 
a  duty,  but  urges  it  as  a  necessary  fruit  and  evi¬ 
dence  of  piety ,  for  the  satisfaction  both  of  our¬ 
selves  and  others.  Christ  says,  “  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples  ;”  and  an 
apostle  assures  us,  “We  know  that  we  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love 
the  brethren.”  The  thought  is  a  startling  one, 
and  full  of  suggestion  to  the  pious  mind.  Let 
all  who  profess  or  believe  themselves  to  have 
“passed  from  death  unto  life”  ponder  well 
these  words,  “He  that  loveth  not  his  brother 
abideth  in  death.”  1  John  3:14.  See  also 
1  John  2:9,  10,  11;  3:10;  4:20. 

But  do  professed  Christians  need  these  ex¬ 
hortations?  Do  not  the  children  of  God,  the 
members  of  the  household  of  faith,  and  the 


THE  CHURCH. 


101 


travellers  to  a  common  heavenly  home  “love 
one  another?77  Alas,  there  are  too  many  of 
them  who  might  well  exclaim,  in  the  words  of 
a  saint  of  former  times,  “Blessed  Jesus,  either 
these  are  not  thy  precepts ,  or  we  are  not  Christians ,77 
It  is  enough  to  sadden  the  hearts  of  all  who 
love  the  cause  of  Christ,  to  see  the  church 
which  he  has  redeemed  with  his  precious  blood 
so  torn  with  intestine  divisions.  How  often  are 
its  different  branches  arrayed  in  hostility  upon 
slight  points  of  controversy,  foolishly  expend¬ 
ing  upon  one  another  those  energies  which 
should  be  concentrated  against  the  common 
foe !  What  bitterness  of  feeling,  what  oppro¬ 
briousness  of  epithet,  what  jealousy,  envy,  and 
malice  have  characterized  much  of  the  relig¬ 
ious  discussion  of  the  church,  causing  a  wide 
gulf  of  separation  between  those  who  should 
be  joined  in  holiest  sympathies!  And  if  we 
look  at  individual  churches,  how  many  lie  torn 
and  bleeding  under  the  sad  effects  of  personal 
disputes.  By  an  unbridled  tongue,  or  mistaken 
zeal,  or  wicked  envy  and  desire  for  precedence, 
our  Saviour  has  often  been  “wounded  in  the 
house  of  his  friends  ;77  his  cause  has  suffered, 
piety  has  declined,  and  obstacles  almost  insur- 


102 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


mountable  have  been  placed  between  the  sin¬ 
ner  and  his  salvation.  Many  a  church  has  thus 
verified  in  its  own  unhappy  experience  those 
words  of  James,  “Where  envying  and  strife  is, 
there  is  confusion  and  every  evil  work.”  Jas. 
3  : 16.  Eternity  alone  can  reveal  the  amount 
of  injury  that  has  been  done  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  by  the  absence  of  brotherly  love. 

It  was  the  highest  encomium  pronounced 
upon  the  early  disciples,  “  See  how  these  Chris¬ 
tians  love  one  another.”  But  we  afterwards 
find  Paul  severely  rebuking  some  of  them,  styl¬ 
ing  them  “  carnal,”  and  “  babes  in  Christ “  for 
whereas  there  is  among  you  envying,  and  strife, 
and  divisions,  are  ye  not  carnal,  and  walk  as 
men?”  1  Cor.  3  :  3.  Of  course  the  guilty  ones 
call  these  strifes  by  quite  a  different  name. 
Those  who  are  active  in  church  dissensions 
style  their  conduct  “  a  vindication  of  the  truth,” 
or  “  a  manly  independence,”  or  “  a  holy  indig¬ 
nation  against  the  erring,”  or  “  a  rectifying  of 
abuses ;”  but  it  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  gospel 
that  it  calls  things  by  their  right  names,  and 
there  are  few  instances  in  which  the  more  ap¬ 
propriate  term  would  not  be  carnal-mindedness. 
Now  when  we  remember  that  “to  be  carnally 


THE  CHURCH. 


103 


minded  is  death,”  how  sad  a  scene  is  presented 
by  those  churches  in  which  strifes  and  envyings 
exist!  Under  these  forms  carnality  has  invad¬ 
ed  the  very  sanctuary  of  God,  and  is  there  sow¬ 
ing  the  seeds  of  a  terrible  death  among  the 
professed  heirs  of  the  heavenly  life.  As  the 
opposite  of  this  carnal  spirit,  the  word  inculcates 
the  exercise  of  a  loving  and  Christ-like  dispo¬ 
sition  towards  the  erring.  It  stops  not,  how¬ 
ever,  with  this,  but  clearly  points  out  the  line 
of  conduct  to  be  pursued  towards  a  trespass¬ 
ing  brother.  “If  thy  brother  shall  trespass 
against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between 
thee  and  him  alone :  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou 
hast  gained  thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not 
hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more, 
that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  may  be  established.  And  if  he  shall 
neglect  to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church ; 
but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be 
unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican.” 
Matt.  18 : 15-17. 

1.  The  first  step  prescribed  is  a  plain,  frank 
statement  to  the  offender  of  his  fault.  The 
parties  at  variance  must  meet  face  to  face,  that 
an  opportunity  may  be  afforded  for  mutual  ex- 


104 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


planations,  or  for  a  kind  appeal  or  rebuke  to 
the  guilty  one.  Such  a  meeting  would  in  many 
instances  stop  the  beginnings  of  dissension ; 
for  it  is  often  the  case  that  one  who  has 
erred  is  longing  for  just  such  an  opportunity 
to  acknowledge  and,  if  possible,  repair  his 
error. 

2.  This  step,  however,  may  sometimes  be  un¬ 
successful.  It  is  then  made  our  duty  to  resort 
to  the  second  one,  namely,  a  repetition  of  the 
interview  in  the  presence  of  two  or  three  wit¬ 
nesses,  “that  every  word  may  be  established.7’ 
This  injunction  requires  that  those  who  assist 
in  the  effort  be  not  merely  witnesses  to  testify 
upon  the  subject  before  the  church,  if  it  should 
become  necessary,  but  that  they  add  the  weight 
of  their  influence  and  kind  Christian  admoni¬ 
tion.  They  should  therefore  be  men  of  deep 
piety  and  sound  judgment — “  wise  men,”  who 
are  “  able  to  judge  between  the  brethren.” 
Such  will  often  effect,  by  their  superior  wisdom 
and  discretion,  that  which  others  fail  to  accom¬ 
plish. 

3.  “  If  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them,”  says 
Christ,  “tell  it  unto  the  church.”  The  griev¬ 
ance  must,  as  a  last  resort,  be  laid  before  the 


THE  CHURCH. 


105 


church,  or  its  judicatory,  which  shall  add  its 
voice  of  mild  yet  firm  authority,  and  enjoin  re¬ 
pentance  and  reparation  for  the  fault. 

4.  If,  however,  this  step  proves  also  ineffect¬ 
ual,  and  the  offender  remains  insensible  to  every 
appeal  of  Christian  love ;  “if  he  neglect  to 
hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  hea¬ 
then  man  and  a  publican.77  The  heathen  and 
publicans  were  those  with  whom  the  Jews  held 
no  religious  intercourse.  Our  Lord  here  re¬ 
quires  that  such  as  obstinately  offend,  and  per¬ 
sist  in  wronging  a  fellow-Christian,  be  subject¬ 
ed  to  the  discipline  of  the  church.  This  should 
never  be  resorted  to  except  when  the  previous 
steps  have  been  faithfully  employed  ;  and  then 
it  should  be  done  with  all  love  and  kindness, 
that  the  erring  may  if  possible  be  still  won, 
yet  with  firmness,  that  the  peace  and  purity  of 
the  church  may  be  maintained. 

Throughout  all  these  steps  there  is  to  be  ob¬ 
served  the  same  degree  of  tender  forbearance 
and  long-suffering.  When  thus  conducted,  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  they  will  be  crowned 
with  success,  and  go  far  towards  maintaining 
that  “fervent  charity77  which  is  “the  bond  of 
perfectness,77  the  glory  of  the  redeemed,  and 


106 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  heaven-born  principle  of  the  believer’s  pres¬ 
ent  and  future  life. 

The  general  spirit  of  these  requirements,  and 
indeed  of  the  whole  gospel,  stands  opposed  to 
a  mode  of  redress  which  is  too  common  among 
professed  Christians  as  well  as  others — litiga¬ 
tion.  This  is  pointedly  rebuked  by  Paul  as  fol¬ 
lows  :  “  Dare  any  of  you,  having  a  matter 
against  another,  go  to  law  before  the  unjust, 
and  not  before  the  saints?  I  speak  to  your 
shame.  Is  it  so,  that  there  is  not  a  wise  man 
among  you?  No,  not  one  that  shall  be  able 
to  judge  between  his  brethren?  Now  there¬ 
fore  there  is  utterly  a  fault  among  you,  because 
ye  go  to  law  one  with  another.  Why  do  ye 
not  rather  take  wrong?  why  do  ye  not  rather 
suffer  yourselves  to  be  defrauded?”  1  Cor. 
6:1,  5-7.  In  these  words  the  apostle  finally 
solves  a  point  which  is  sometimes  disputed,  and 
teaches  us  that  we  had  better  even  suffer  our¬ 
selves  to  be  defrauded  than  exhibit  to  the  world 
a  spirit  of  contention.  Of  course  there  are 
occasions  when  justice  requires  that  the  person 
injuring  us  be  punished  with  the  rigors  of  the 
law,  and  when  the  cause  of  Christ  would  be 
more  prejudiced  by  a  quiet  submission  than  by 


THE  CHURCH. 


107 


an  obtaining  of  legal  redress.  Such  instances, 
however,  are  comparatively  rare,  there  being 
few  differences  among  Christians  which  may 
not  be  more  happily  adjusted  by  their  reference 
to  some  “  wise  man  ”  who  is  “  able  to  judge  be¬ 
tween  his  brethren/7  or  which,  if  not  thus  set¬ 
tled,  had  not  better  be  meekly  endured  than 
legally  revenged. 

Our  present  codes  of  civil  law  are  such  as 
every. citizen  may  justly  be  proud  of.  Founded, 
as  the  wisest  legislators  admit,  upon  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  the  gospel,  they  go  far  towards  secur¬ 
ing  the  end  of  those  precepts,  the  practice  of 
the  right  way.  Yet  is  it  not  too  often  the  case 
that  the  privileges  afforded  by  them  are  abused, 
and  made  a  means  of  retaliation  and  revenge? 
A  suit  at  law  is  often  prompted  by  those  angry 
feelings  which,  in  a  state  of  less  refinement  and 
civilization,  would  exhibit  itself  in  open  blows. 
It  is  often  the  disguised  expression  of  that  ha¬ 
tred  to  one’s  brother  which,  however  manifest¬ 
ed,  constitutes  a  murder.  And  even  when  en¬ 
tered  upon  with  calmness  and  brotherly  affection, 
how  often  does  the  progress  of  the  trial  excite 
bitter  feelings  upon  both  sides,  and  display  to 
the  world  a  spirit  that  is  far  from  Christ-like ! 


108 


THE  RIG«HT  WAY. 


We  would  by  no  means  undervalue  the  laws  of 
the  state — they  are  essential  to  its  well-being ; 
but  let  them  not  be  perverted  from  their  high 
office  as  the  defence  of  justice  and  shield  of  the 
oppressed,  to  the  ignoble  one  of  a  means  of  re¬ 
venge.  At  all  events,  let  those  who  follow  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus  be  governed,  as  they  pro¬ 
fess  to  be,  by  that  source  of  all  law  and  equity, 
the  word  of  God,  and  accept  as  their  rule  of 

life  that  code  whose  demands  are  all  summed 

* 

up  in  the  one  word,  love. 

Such  is  the  mode  prescribed  in  the  gospel  for 
regulating  the  intercourse  of  the  brethren.  How 
beautifully  does  it  contrast,  in  its  divine  nature 
and  happy  tendencies,  with  the  way  that  is  too 
frequently  practised  among  them!  Were  it 
more  generally  observed,  the  church  would  not 
exhibit  to  the  world  such  gross  inconsistencies 
as  now  characterize  her,  nor  be  taunted  with 
being  false  to  her  acknowledged  principles. 
She  would  no  longer  present  the  spectacle  of  a 
torn  and  bleeding  body,  wounded,  not  by  her 
enemies,  but  by  her  avowed  friends  and  mem¬ 
bers.  Then  the  proverb  would  once  more  be» 
“See  how  these  Christians  love  one  another/7 
Beautiful  would  be  the  appearance  she  would 


THE  CHURCH. 


109 


then  present,  keeping  “  the  unity  of  the  spirit 
in  the  bonds  of  peace.”  Then  Christianity 
would  be  seen  and  confessed  a  divine  institu¬ 
tion,  and  its  very  loveliness,  as  made  known  in 
the  lives  of  its  adherents,  would  win  many  to 
its  standard.  Then  too,  not  only  causes  of  of¬ 
fence  and  stumbling  would  be  removed,  but 
instead  of  them  would  be  the  more  active  labors 
of  God’s  united  people ;  churches  whose  dissen¬ 
sions  now  grieve  the  Spirit,  would  be  visited  by 
his  influences  ;  the  word  would  have  new  power, 
and  united,  sympathizing  prayer  be  attended 
with  new  efficacy  ;  religion  would  be  revived, 
saints  edified,  sinners  saved,  and  God  glorified. 

W e  therefore  appeal  to  all  who  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  to  “follow  after  the  things  which 
make  for  peace.”  Your  own  life  and  happiness 
demand  it,  for  “  he  that  hateth  his  brother  is  a 
murderer,  and  ye  know  that  no  murderer  hath 
eternal  life  abiding  in  him.”  The  interests  of 
the  church  demand  it ;  for  how  can  she  hope  or 
pray  for  success  while  distracted  by  civil  feuds 
and  divisions?  The  honor  of  the  meek  and 
lowly  Jesus  demands  it,  for  his  name  and  cause 
are  too  often  disgraced  by  the  unworthy  strifes 
of  his  avowed  disciples.  The  welfare  of  the 


110 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


world  demands  it,  for  the  reign  of  peace  will 
never  prevail,  except  it  begin  with  the  church. 
It  is  not  enough  that  we  pray  and  labor  for  that 
glorious  consummation;  we  must  second  our 
labors,  and  prove  the  sincerity  of  our  prayers, 
by  ourselves  practising  that  right  way  which 
we  commend  to  others,  just  as  Jesus  enforced 
by  the  power  of  his  own  example  every  truth 
which  he  uttered  with  his  lips.  The  interests 
of  immortal  souls  demand  it,  for  weak  minds 
are  stumbling  to  perdition  over  the  faults  of 
Christians.  Many  reject  that  religion  whose 
precepts  are  so  plainly  violated  by  its  profes¬ 
sors  ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared,  that  with  some  the 
angry  word  or  bitter  retort  uttered  by  a  disci¬ 
ple,  may  be  the  turning-point  which  seals  their 
endless  destiny.  As  then,  Christian,  you  value 
your  own  soul,  and  the  souls  of  your  brethren — 
as  you  value  the  cause  of  Christ,  the  interests 
of  the  world,  and  the  salvation  of  those  about 
you — as  you  would  not  weaken  and  distract 
the  power  which,  under  God,  is  to  convert  the 
nations — as  you  would  be  free  from  the  blood 
of  souls,  “ follow  after  the  things  which  make  for 
peace.11  “  Be  of  one  mind ,  live  in  peace,  and  the  God 
of  love  and  peace  shall  he  with  you.11 


PART  II. 


THE  GOSPEL  APPLIED  TO  THE  INTERCOURSE 

OF  NATIONS. 


CHAPTER,  VII. 

NATIONAL  INTERCOURSE  —  THE  GOSPEL  AP¬ 
PLICABLE  TO  IT. 

Both  nations  and  individuals  are  governed 
by  the  same  natural  laws.  The  same  instincts, 
necessities,  and  dependencies  attend  both,  and 
alike  impel  them  to  hold  intercourse  with  one 
another.  God  has  so  framed  our  globe,  with 
its  different  climates  and  various  products,  that 
every  nation,  while  containing  within  itself  all 
the  necessaries  of  life,  is  compelled  to  look  to 
almost  all  the  other  nations  for  many  of  its 
comforts  and  luxuries.  As  the  result  of  this, 
we  find  them  engaged  in  commerce,  or  the  prof¬ 
itable  exchange  of  their  products  and  manufac- 


112 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


tures.  This  brings  the  subjects  of  different 
governments  into  friendly  contact,  and  estab¬ 
lishes  an  identity  of  interest  between  them. 
With  the  advance  of  civilization,  the  tribes  and 
kingdoms  have  more  and  more  felt  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  this  intercourse,  until  now,  one  wall  of 
exclusive  policy  after  another  having  been  bro¬ 
ken  down,  the  nations  are  rapidly  commingling. 
Men  are  beginning  to  feel  that  they  are  all 
members  of  one  common  family,  and  the  differ¬ 
ent  countries  are  fast  becoming,  in  point  of 
fact,  a  neighborhood. 

The  necessity  of  this  intercourse  has  become 
too  well  established  to  require  any  argument. 
The  nations,  by  an  irresistible  impulse,  will  asso¬ 
ciate  together;  and  it  is  considered  as  unwise 
and  as  unnatural  for  one  of  them  to  sever  its 
connections  with  the  others,  as  it  is  for  an  indi¬ 
vidual  to  withdraw  entirely  from  the  society  of 
his  fellows. 

It  is  equally  evident  to  the  observing  mind 
that  this  intercourse  is  designed  for  the  good  of 
men.  Experience  proves  that  in  proportion  as* 
it  is  amicably  maintained,  our  social  happiness 
is  directly  augmented.  It  in  a  measure  extends 
to  every  nation  the  literature,  science,  arts,  and 


INTERCOURSE  OF  NATIONS.  113 

manufactures  of  every  other.  As  in  a  commu¬ 
nity  much  is  gained  to  every  member  by  the 
division  of  labor,  the  rivalry  of  skill,  and  the 
relations  of  each  to  the  others,  so  it  is  with 
nations.  In  both  instances,  also,  kind  affec¬ 
tions  and  sympathies  are  called  into  exercise, 
and  made  a  powerful  source  of  happiness.  Es¬ 
pecially  it  is  true  of  them  both,  that  they  can 
greatly  promote  one  another’s  spiritual  well¬ 
being.  The  bearings  of  national  intercourse 
upon  the  dissemination  of  Bible  truth,  and  the 
multiplied  instrumentalities  for  the  world’s  con¬ 
version,  are  plain  to  every  beholder.  Yet,  as 
in  the  one  case,  so  in  the  other,  it  can  be  made 
a  powerful  instrument  of  evil.  If  abused,  it 
may  become  a  curse,  whose  magnitude  is  pro¬ 
portioned  to  the  vastness  of  the  interests  which 
it  involves.  In  the  one  instance  the  effects  of 
contention  are  generally  limited  to  a  very  few 
persons — to  two  or  three  disputants,  or  at  most 
to  a  family  or  neighborhood  ;  in  the  other  they 
extend  to  millions.  If,  then,  it  be  important 
that  the  intercourse  of  man  with  man  be  gov¬ 
erned  by  right  principles,  it  is  of  far  greater 
importance  that  that  of  nation  with  nation  be 
so  governed.  Every  reason  which  applies  to 

8 


Right  Way. 


114 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  one  is  applicable  with  accumulated  force  to 
the  other. 

Alas,  that  in  this  respect  also  we  must  behold 
the  sad  perversion  of  God’s  providential  ar¬ 
rangements  for  our  good.  Those  wrong  prin¬ 
ciples  which  so  much  imbitter  the  private  and 
social  relations  of  men,  govern  to  a  yet  greater 
degree  the  relations  of  the  masses.  The  same 
foul  passions  which,  in  the  infancy  of  our  race, 
produced  a  murderer,  have,  from  the  very  in¬ 
fancy  of  tribes  and  kingdoms,  filled  the  earth 
wdth  wholesale  violence  and  slaughter.  If  we 
attentively  consider  the  intercourse  of  nations, 
we  behold  a  state  of  things  that  is  most  re¬ 
pulsive  and  soul-sickening.  We  see  kingdom 
rising  up  against  kingdom  in  deadly  conflict. 
We  see  great  masses  of  human  beings  arrayed 
against  each  other  for  avowed  purposes  of 
destruction,  and  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
them  cut  down — costly  sacrifices  to  vengeance 
or  ambition.  We  see  men,  possessed  of  immor¬ 
tal  souls,  and  ennobled  with  godlike  capacities, 
pressing  on  in  herds  to  a  worse  than  brutal 
slaughter ;  and  then  left  wallowing  in  their 
blood,  while  new  victims  take  their  places  and 
share  their  fate.  Man  prostitutes  his  noble 


INTERCOURSE  OF  NATIONS. 


115 


powers  to  the  most  ignoble  ends.  Minds  whose 
skill  and  wisdom  might  have  blessed  the  world, 
and  enhanced  our  social  comforts,  expend  their 
energies  in  devising  modes  and  instruments 
of  warfare,  and  plotting  death  to  thousands. 
Hands  that  might  have  been  powerful  to  help 
and  encourage,  are  devoted  to  mutual  slaughter. 
Voices  that  might  have  been  eloquent  to  cheer 
and  animate  to  duty,  are  mistuned  to  heaven- 
offending  blasphemies,  and  curses  on  their  fel¬ 
lows.  Manly  strength,  which  if  rightly  direct¬ 
ed  might  have  increased  the  sum  of  human 
happiness,  assumes  the  form  of  wild,  brute  vio¬ 
lence.  Instead  of  the  honorable  rivalry  of  love 
and  duty,  is  seen  the  disgraceful  competition  of 
desolation,  rapine,  and  murder. 

Scarcely  has  there  been  a  period  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  our  earth,  when  the  above  dark  picture 
would  not  apply  to  some  portions  of  it.  There 
have  indeed  been  intervals  of  peace,  but  gen¬ 
erally  so  brief  that  they  appeared  to  be  only 
breathing  spells  or  truces,  in  which  the  combat¬ 
ants  rested  upon  their  arms,  and  gained  strength 
for  more  violent  onsets.  Strife  seems  to  have 
been  the  element  of  almost  all  national  exist¬ 
ence.  Nearly  every  throne  has  been,  to  a 


116 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


greater  or  less  degree,  propped  up  by  the  slain 
bodies  of  both  its  subjects  and  its  enemies. 

If  we  look  for  the  cause  of  this  wide-spread 
calamity,  we  shall  find  it  to  be  the  same  that 
lies  at  the  root  of  all  individual  contention, 
namely,  a  resort  to  the  wrong  way  of  conduct¬ 
ing  intercourse  and  adjusting  differences.  We 
behold  both  the  reason  of  this  curse  and  where¬ 
in  lies  its  remedy,  in  the  fact  that  it  is  a  viola¬ 
tion  of  the  precepts  of  the  gospel.  This  we 
shall  hereafter  show.  Perhaps,  however,  it  is 
necessary  at  this  stage  of  our  discussion  to 
prove  that  those  precepts  are  applicable  to  nations 
equally  with  individuals. 

While  the  gospel  has  been,  for  centuries, 
gradually  conforming  the  spirit  and  conduct  of 
individuals  to  itself,  it  has  thus  far  been  lament¬ 
ably  disregarded  by  governments.  Even  in  those 
countries  which  are  professedly  Christian,  and 
where  the  law  of  God  is  recognized  as  the  law 
of  the  land  and  the  foundation  of  its  jurispru¬ 
dence,  it  has  been  studiously  excluded  from  the 
national  councils.  As  a  necessary  consequence 
of  these  mistaken  views,  the  progress  of  nations, 
as  such,  has  been  much  slower  than  that  of  the 
individuals  of  whom  they  are  composed  ;  and 


INTERCOURSE  OF  NATIONS. 


117 


the  anomaly  is  this  day  presented  of  their  re¬ 
taining  and  practising  a  custom  which  they  have 
long  since  abolished  among  their  subjects  as 
barbarous  and  unjust.  While  the  gospel  has 
been  allowed  to  mould  the  civil  law  until  it  has 
brought  it  to  its  present  stage  of  perfection,  it 
has  not  been  permitted,  by  any  means  to  the 
same  degree,  to  govern  the  law  of  nations.  The 
singular  spectacle  is  therefore  presented  of  two 
different  and  widely  opposite  rules  of  right 
controlling  the  internal  and  external  affairs  of 
every  country ;  and  men  are  required  to  act  in 
their  collective  capacity  precisely  contrary  to 
the  course  which  is  required  of  them  as  indi¬ 
viduals.  The  inconsistency  of  this  state  of 
things  is  manifest,  and  should  lead  us  to  sus¬ 
pect  that  one  or  the  other  of  these  two  rules  is 
wrong.  Which  of  them  is  so,  it  requires  no 
effort  to  determine.  The  only  rule  of  right, 
the  revealed  will  of  God,  is  as  applicable  to 
nations  as  it  is  to  individuals. 

All  the  acknowledged  authorities  upon  inter¬ 
national  law  agree  in  affirming  that  a  nation  is 
to  be  regarded  as  a  moral  person.  V attel  says, 
“Nations  are  under  the  same  obligations  that 
are  binding  upon  men  in  their  intercourse  one 


118 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


with,  another.”  Chancellor  Kent  says,  “They 
are  properly  regarded  as  moral  persons.”  This 
view  is  a  just  one,  and  is  founded  upon  the  fact 
that  the  nation  is  a  collection  of  individuals, 
and  that  the  government  is  their  representa¬ 
tive.  It  naturallv  follows  from  this  that  the 

•j 

same  general  laws  which  govern  each  one  sep¬ 
arately,  ought  to  govern  them  all  united ;  that 
men  possess  in  their  collective  capacity  the 
same  rights,  the  same  duties,  and  the  same  ac¬ 
countability  to  God  which  they  have  as  individ¬ 
uals  ;  and  that  their  rulers  or  representatives 
are  under  those  moral  obligations  which  bind 
the  people  for  whom  they  act.  If,  therefore, 
the  gospel  addresses  its  precepts  to  men,  it  is 
equally  binding  upon  them  whether  they  act 
together  as  masses,  or  separately  as  individu¬ 
als.  If  the  gospel  imposes  its  obligations  upon 
every  moral  person ,  then  those  obligations  bind 
with  full  force  the  nation,  which  competent 
authorities  have  said  should  be  considered  and 
treated  as  a  “  moral  person.” 

It  is,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  im¬ 
possible  that  there  be  two  opposite  rules  of  right. 
If  there  are  two  which  conflict  together,  no 
other  evidence  is  needed  that  one  of  them  is 


INTERCOURSE  OF  NATIONS.  119 

erroneous.  Right  exists  in  itself,  and  is  not 
created  by  circumstances.  If  any  deed  is  wrong, 
or  forbidden  by  Gods  law,  no  combination  of 
circumstances  can  make  it  otherwise.  Every 
thing  which  it  is  right  or  wrong  for  one  or  two 
persons  to  do,  is  the  same  for  a  hundred  or  a 
thousand.  If  any  one  questions  this,  let  him 
attempt  to  assign  the  limit  where  one  obliga¬ 
tion  ceases  and  an  opposite  one  takes  its  place. 
Is  it  when  ten  persons  are  acting  together,  or 
fifty,  or  five  hundred?  Can  men,  by  thus  band¬ 
ing,  sin  with  impunity,  and  violate  every  gospel 
precept  without  incurring  guilt  ?  If  this  were 
so,  would  not  the  gospel  rule  be  sadly  defect¬ 
ive  ?  But  it  is  not  so  ;  and  the  world  has  suf¬ 
fered  much  because  men  have  not  seen  the  full 
perfection  of  the  law  of  God.  The  fault  lies 
not  in  the  gospel,  but  in  those  who  have  pre¬ 
sumed  to  limit  its  application.  The  very  fact 
that  the  duties  of  Christianity  are  binding 
upon  each  person,  proves  them  to  be  binding 
upon  all.  Men  cannot  divest  themselves  of 
their  individual  accountability.  After  all  the 
efforts  that  are  commonly  made  to  that  end, 
the  soldier  cannot  be  converted  into  a  mere 
machine,  nor  shift  the  whole  responsibility  of 


120 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


his  conduct  upon  the  master-spirit  who  claims 
the  sole  right  to*  animate  him.  At  the  bar  of 
God  he  will  be  judged  as  an  individual,  and  his 
own  guilt  cannot  be  extinguished  in  the  plea 
that  he  committed  crime  at  the  bidding  of 
another.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  individual  in 
the  nation  to  obey  the  gospel.  If  all  were  to 
do  so,  how  could  they  unitedly  disobey  it? 

That  there  must  be  some  rule  of  right  to 
govern  the  intercourse  of  nations,  is  generally 
admitted.  The  fact  of  the  existence  of  a  code 
of  international  law  shows  the  felt  necessity  for 
such  a  rule.  Where,  then,  shall  it  be  found? 
There  is  but  one  source  of  human  law,  the  re¬ 
vealed  will  of  God.  To  it  we  are  indebted  for 
the  greater  part  of  our  civil  codes — the  most 
eminent  jurists  having  acknowledged  that  they 
are  founded  upon  the  Bible.  That  Bible  is  not 
so  imperfect  as  to  have  limited  its  precepts  to 
certain  relations  and  circumstances  of  life,  leav¬ 
ing  others  unprovided  for.  We  know  that  it 
is  complete,  because  God  is  its  author,  and  that 
therefore  it  must  be  designed  for  application  to 
nations  as  well  as  individuals.  To  it  we  are  to 
look  for  the  rule  of  national  intercourse.  If 
it  contained  laws  relating  especially  to  govern- 


INTERCOURSE  OF  NATIONS. 


121 


ments,  it  would  be  our  duty  to  adopt  them.  As, 
however,  it  does  not  contain  them,  we  can  only 
conclude  that  its  wise  Author,  who  knows  pre¬ 
cisely  what  our  circumstances  require,  intended 
that  the  same  rule  should  apply  in  general  to  both 
individuals  and  nations.  “  The  rule  of  right  which 
binds  the  single  individual,  binds  two  or  three 
when  gathered  together — binds  conventions 
and  congregations  of  men — binds  villages, 
towns,  and  cities — binds  states,  nations,  and 
empires — clasps  the  whole  human  family  in 
its  seven-fold  embrace.77 

This  rule  of  right  is  contained  in  the  gos¬ 
pel  ;  and  it  is  only  by  obedience  to  it  that  na¬ 
tions  can  attain  to  the  Right  Way  of  conducting 
intercourse. 


122 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  EVILS  OF  WAR. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  special  application 
of  the  gospel  to  this  branch  of  our  subject,  let 
us  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  evils  of  war. 

If  the  picture  of  individual  discords  is  a  sad 
one,  that  of  national  strife  is  still  more  so. 
Our  theme  rises  in  melancholy  interest,  as  we 
are  now  called  to  contemplate  this  very  dark¬ 
est  side  of  depraved  humanity.  The  view  is  a 
soul-sickening  one,  and  well  calculated  to  over¬ 
whelm  the  mind  with  disgust  and  horror.  Its 
details,  if  truthfully  depicted,  would  be  enough 
to  stir  up  every  fountain  of  mournful  emotion ; 
and  he  is  indeed  to  be  pitied  who  can  dwell 
upon  them  without  tender  sympathy  and  grief. 
But  let  us  not  therefore  shrink  from  them.  It 
is  to  be  feared  that  an  undue  sensibility  upon 
this  subject  has  caused  the  Christian  world  to 
forget  its  duty,  and  prevented  it  from  putting 
forth  those  efforts  which  might,  long  before 
this,  have  abolished  the  terrible  curse.  We 
have  been  like  the  sick  man,  who,  while  pain- 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


123 


fully  conscious  of  disease,  should  refuse  to  look 
upon  his  wounds  and  putrefying  sores,  lest  he 
be  shocked  by  the  view  of  their  corruption. 
How  much  better  to  know  the  worst,  that  he 
might  be  led  to  employ  the  means  of  cure. 
And  how  much  better  it  would  be  for  mankind 
if  they  would  seriously  consider  this  their  deep- 
seated  leprosy,  and  in  full  view  of  its  danger¬ 
ous  character,  earnestly  and  patiently  apply  to 
it  the  divine  remedy! 

I.  Glancing  first  at  some  of  its  lesser  evils, 
consider  its  incalculable  waste  of  property. 

We  say  incalculable ,  for  no  arithmetic  can 
compute  the  immense  amount  which  has  thus 
been  sacrificed.  In  order  to  form  any  adequate 
conception  of  its  cost  to  the  world,  we  must 
be  able  to  estimate  not  only  the  actual  outlays 
incurred  in  every  war,  and  which  are  met  by 
public  appropriations,  but  also  the  value  of  the 
fields  laid  waste,  of  the  towns  and  cities  de¬ 
stroyed,  of  the  peaceful  occupations  abandoned, 
and  of  the  labors  of  the  soldiers,  had  they  been 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil,  commerce,  or  manu¬ 
factures.  We  must  add  the  losses  occasioned 
by  the  general  derangement  of  business,  more 
or  less  affecting  every  individual  of  the  war- 


124 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ring  countries.  To  these  must  be  added  the 
vast  amount  of  good  which  might  have  been 
accomplished  had  this  wealth  been  expended  in 
other  channels,  the  physical  sufferings  it  might 
have  relieved,  and  the  spiritual,  soul-saving 
blessings  it  might  have  conferred  upon  millions 
who  are  destitute  of  them.  Who  can  compute 
all  these?  What  mind  can  adequately  esti¬ 
mate  the  sum  which  such  thoughts  suggest? 
We  are  bewildered  in  the  attempt  to  measure 
it,  or  to  assign  any  limit  to  this  fearful  waste. 

1.  Look  at  some  of  the  direct  expenses  of  war. 
The  last  war  of  the  United  States  with  Great 
Britain  cost  our  nation  about  fifty  millions  of 
dollars  a  year ;  and  our  war  with  Mexico  was 
waged  at  an  expense  of  more  than  one  hundred 
millions.  Our  Revolutionary  war  cost  England 
six  hundred  and  eighty  millions.  According 
to  official  reports,  the  military  and  naval  ex¬ 
penditures  of  the  British  government  for  the 
year  ending  March  31,  1855,  amounted  to 
£49,812,637,  or  about  $249,063,185.  England 
alone,  in  the  wars  occasioned  by  the  French 
Revolution,  spent  more  than  five  thousand  mill¬ 
ions  ;  and  it  is  estimated  that  she  spent  about 
ten  thousand  millions  in  “  wars  having  for  their 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


125 


object,  first  the  humiliation  of  the  Bourbons, 
and  then  their  restoration  to  the  throne.'7  As 
nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  wars  of  Chris¬ 
tendom  during  the  twenty-two  years  from  1793 
to  the  peace  of  1815,  were  carried  on  at  an 
expense  of  about  fifteen  thousand  millions  of  dol¬ 
lars  ! 

Perhaps  we  cannot  better  exhibit  the  im¬ 
mense  burdens  thus  imposed  upon  the  nations, 
than  by  glancing  at  some  of  those  debts  which 
have  been  contracted  by  all  Europe  in  order  to 
the  prosecution  of  war.  The  public  debt  of 
Great  Britain  alone,  in  January,  1854,  was 
£770,923,000,  or  about  $3,854,615,000 — all  of 
which  is  the  growth  of  wars  undertaken  since 
the  year  1688.  The  interest  upon  this  debt, 
and  the  cost  of  its  management,  amounts  to 
nearly  $150,000,000  every  year.  Well  said 
Canning  and  Brougham,  “England  is  under 
bonds  of  eight  hundred  million  pounds  sterling 
to  keep  the  peace.77  And  she  is  not  alone. 
Every  European  nation  is  weighed  down  under 
the  same  mighty  incubus,  and  its  revenues  ab¬ 
sorbed  and  its  inhabitants  taxed  to  an  oppres¬ 
sive  degree  by  debts  incurred  in  war.  With¬ 
out  going  into  detail,  it  will  suffice  to  say,  that 


126 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


according  to  official  estimates  carefully  collated 
and  summed  up,  the  entire  war  debt  of  Europe 
in  1840  was  found  to  be  not  less  than  ten  thou¬ 
sand  million  dollars,  which  is  an  average  of 
fifty  dollars  to  each  of  its  inhabitants.  This 
is  supposed  to  be  five  times  as  much  as  all  the 
coin  in  the  world.  The  mere  interest  upon  this 
sum,  at  six  per  cent.,  would  be  six  hundred  mill¬ 
ions  a  year,  or  almost  two  millions  every  day! 

And  all  this— -for  what  ?  In  most  instances, 
to  gratify  ambition  and  the  lust  for  fame  and 
power ;  to  avenge  real  or  fancied  insults ;  to 
trample  upon  the  rights  of  the  feeble ;  to  achieve 
exploits  which  should  put  humanity  to  the  blush ; 
to  plant  national  standards  upon  the  reeking 
graves  of  subjects,  and  unfurl  them  to  the  air 
that  is  burdened  with  the  frenzied  groans  and 
imprecations  of  the  maimed  and  dying;  to  de¬ 
populate  earth  of  much  of  its  sinew  and  strength ; 
to  brutalize  and  then  destroy  millions  of  our 
fellow-men,  and  to  people  hell  with  murderers. 
Two  millions  of  dollars  devoted  every  day  by  Chris¬ 
tian  nations  to  such  purposes  as  these!  It  is 
nearly  three  hundred  times  as  much  as  is  given 
by  those  nations  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel 
and  the  evangelization  of  man. 


EVILS  OP  WAR. 


127 


2.  But  we  have  only  begun  to  contemplate 
this  fearful  waste.  Let  us  look  at  some  of 
those  incidental  losses  which  are  inseparably 
connected  with  war  in  its  crippling  and  de¬ 
struction  of  a  nation’s  private  wealth.  The 
exports  and  imports  of  the  United  States  for 
1855,  amounted  to  about  five  hundred  millions 
of  dollars.  It  has  been  supposed  that  in  the 
event  of  a  war  with  a  maritime  power,  one 
half  of  this  would  be  liable  to  be  seized  by  the 
enemy.  What  a  blow  to  our  prosperity  would 
this  be,  especially  as  the  amount  thus  lost  would 
be  added  to  the  increased  expenditures  which 
would  then  be  required  of  us.  An  eminent 
statesman  once  estimated  the  annual  produc¬ 
tion  of  the  United  States  at  nearly  ninety  dol¬ 
lars  to  each  inhabitant.  Reckoning  our  pres¬ 
ent  population  at  twenty-six  millions,  and  sup¬ 
posing  the  loss  of  property  by  war  to  be  one- 
fifth,  our  annual  sacrifice  would  be  nearly  four 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  millions  of  dollars. 

The  incidental  losses  of  property  by  war  can¬ 
not,  however,  be  expressed  by  figures.  Could 
we  trace  the  course  of  almost  any  army,  we 
should  find  it  marked  with  the  most  destruc¬ 
tive  ravages.  Like  the  plague  of  locusts,  they 


128 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


desolate  every  fruitful  field  which  lies  in  their 
path,  and  pillage  and  burn  whole  towns  and 
cities.  In  the  war  with  Russia,  1855,  the  allied 
fleets  destroyed  in  a  few  days  two  hundred  and 
forty-five  Russian  vessels,  laden  with  provisions 
for  the  army  in  the  Crimea.  At  Berdiansk  and 
Chenitschesk  more  than  seven  million  rations 
of  corn,  flour,  and  breadstuffs  were  destroyed, 
and  at  Kertch  upwards  of  four  and  a  half  mill¬ 
ion  pounds  of  corn  and  flour.  The  armies  of 
Attila  and  the  Huns,  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
so  ruined  a  tract  of  many  hundred  miles  from 
the  Caspian  to  the  Indus,  that  “  five  centuries 
have  not  been  sufficient  to  repair  the  ravages 
of  four  years.7’  Thirty  thousand  villages  and 
hamlets  are  said  to  have  been  destroyed  in  the 
Thirty  Years7  war.  A  thousand  of  them  a 
year!  It  is  said  that  Napoleon’s  army,  during 
a  march  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Mos¬ 
cow,  set  fire  to  every  house.  Imagine,  then, 
the  desolations  which  have  been  thus  wrought 
by  all  the  millions  of  soldiers  who  have  from 
time  to  time  traversed  the  fairest  portions  of 
our  globe,  sweeping  Sirocco-like  over  the  gar¬ 
dens  of  the  world,  and  blighting  them  into 
deserts ! 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


129 


Besides  all  this,  war  cripples  private  enter¬ 
prise,  causes  capital  to  lie  idle  and  unproduc¬ 
tive,  and  paralyzes  all  the  ordinary  methods 
of  acquiring  wealth.  The  hum  of  business  is 
silenced  by  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  peace¬ 
ful  sounds  of  the  arts  and  manufactures  are 
hushed  to  a  dreary  pause  before  the  sharp  notes 
of  war.  The  farmer  rests  despondingly  upon 
his  idle  plough,  for  there  is  no  foreign  market 
for  his  products ;  the  mechanic  sits  listlessly  in 
his  shop,  for  there  is  no  outlet  for  his  work¬ 
manship  ;  the  merchant  closes  his  counting 
room,  or  “suspends  payment,”  for  his  ships 
are  rotting  at  the  wharves  from  very  disuse  ; 
the  poor  day-laborer  begs,  or  starves,  or  fights 
for  bread,  for  most  of  the  avenues  of  industry 
are  closed,  public  improvements  are  suspended, 
and  capital  is  withheld  from  use.  Says  a  let¬ 
ter  from  St.  Petersburgh,  August,  1855,  “The 
situation  of  Russia  to-day  may  be  summed  up 
in  two  words — misery  and  general  discontent. 
The  war  has  struck  a  fatal  blow  to  commerce, 
to  production,  and  to  industry.  There  has,  in 
fact,  been  raised,  by  successive  recruitments, 
more  than  a  quarter  of  the  able-bodied  labor¬ 
ers,  and  it  is  impossible  to  find  a  sufficient  num- 

9 


Kijjht  Way. 


130 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


ber  for  tilling  the  ground,  or  for  working  in 
the  factory.'7  Thus  all  classes  suffer  to  an  in¬ 
calculable  degree  under  the  pecuniary  embar¬ 
rassments  of  a  state  of  war. 

3.  We  should  also  include  in  this  view  the 
direct  expenditures  occasioned  by  the  war  spirit  in 
times  of  peace.  In  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30, 1855,  the  total  expenses  of  the  United  States 
government  amounted  to  about  sixty-six  mill¬ 
ions  of  dollars.  Of  this,  more  than  twenty- 
eight  millions  was  appropriated  for  war  pur¬ 
poses  alone.  From  the  beginning  of  our  present 
form  of  government  in  1789  to  the  year  1855, 
the  appropriations  for  the  military  establish¬ 
ment  were  $563,532,482,  and  those  for  the 
naval  establishment  $280,640,779,  making  the 
total  of  $844,173,261.  During  the  same  period 
the  civil  expenses,  exclusive  of  those  on  account 
of  the  public  debt,  reached  only  $366,109,657, 
or  less  than  one  half  the  above  amount,  although 
the  whole  period  included  but  three  years  and 
a  half  of  actual  war.  Deducting  from  the  above 
naval  and  military  appropriations  the  appro¬ 
priations  for  war,  we  find  that  nearly  five  hun¬ 
dred  millions  of  dollars  have  been  devoted  to  prepa¬ 
ration  for  war  in  times  of  peace.  The  tax  upon 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


131 


the  English  people,  for  the  payment  of  interest 
on  their  war  debt,  and  the  support  of  the  army, 
navy,  etc.,  has  been  of  late  about  two  hundred 
millions  per  annum.  At  the  same  time  twenty 
millions  a  year  has  met  all  the  other  expenses 
of  the  government ;  so  that  every  British  tax 
payer  pays  ten  cents  for  past  and  anticipated 
wars  to  every  cent  appropriated  for  other  pur¬ 
poses.  If  we  suppose  the  standing  armies  of 
Europe,  in  time  of  peace,  to  be  three  million 
men,  a  close  calculation  will  show  that  their 
aggregate  cost  to  their  governments  cannot  be 
less  than  $1,200,000,000  every  year.  To  this 
add  the  immense  cost  of  the  American  and  Eu¬ 
ropean  navies,  and  of  the  fortifications,  arse¬ 
nals,  and  other  expensive  means  of  attack  and 
defence,  and  we  have  a  sum  expended  for  war 
purposes  wholly  in  times  of  peace  which  is  almost 
beyond  computation. 

In  view  of  all  this  enormous  waste,  it  has 
been  asserted  that  the  real  cost  of  war  is  at 
least  four  times  as  great  as  its  direct  expenditures. 
If  this  be  the  case,  we  must  estimate  the  wars 
of  Europe  for  the  twenty-two  years  preceding 
the  peace  of  1815,  at  sixty  thousand  millions  of 
dollars!  We  have  confined  our  view  to  these 


132 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


later  wars,  because  there  are  reliable  statistics 
with  regard  to  them.  If  we  could  form  any 
remote  approximation  to  the  amounts  thus  per¬ 
verted  during  the  last  few  centuries,  the  array 
of  figures  would  be  truly  appalling.  If  we 
could  embrace  in  our  view  all  the  pecuniary 
losses  which  men  have  ever  thus  sustained,  it 
would  be  enough  to  stagger  the  strongest  mind 
in  the  effort  to  conceive  of  it.  That  would  then 
be  esteemed  a  very  low  estimate,  though  a  start¬ 
ling  one,  which  supposes  that  “  war  has  wasted 
at  least  fifty  times  as  much  as  all  the  property 
now  on  the  face  of  the  globe  !” 

Now  if  war  be  wrong,  we  must  regard  a 
large  part  of  this  wealth  as  diverted  from  a 
right  channel  into  a  wrong  one.  In  concluding 
this  view,  therefore,  let  us  take  into  considera¬ 
tion  the  vast  benefits  which  would  result  from 
the  legitimate  employment  of  the  amounts  thus 
worse  than  wasted.  The  labors  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  missionaries  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  for 
the  period  of  about  thirty  years,  cost  the  Chris¬ 
tians  of  the  United  States  $882,683,  or  less  than 
the  expense  of  building  one  line- of -battle  ship,  and 
keeping  it  in  service  for  one  year  !  As  the  result 
of  that  “  thirty  years’  war ?;  against  idolatry,  a 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


133 


degraded  heathen  nation  has  become  Christian- 
ized,  and  is  now  sending'  forth  its  own  mission¬ 
aries  to  other  and  distant  fields.  The  army 
and  navy  appropriations  of  the  United  States 
are  about  twenty-five  millions  of  dollars  a  year. 
Who  can  estimate  the  good  which  might  be  ac¬ 
complished,  were  this  sum  applied  to  purposes 
tending  to  elevate  and  Christianize,  instead  of 
degrading  mankind  ?  This  money  would  give 
a  free  common-school  education  to  all  the  five 
million  children  in  our  land.  If  we  add  to  it 
the  annual  cost  of  our  militia,  there  remains  a 
sum  sufficient  to  support  every  college,  theo¬ 
logical,  medical,  and  law  school  in  the  United 
States,  making  them  free  to  all,  besides  sustain¬ 
ing  an  army  of  colporteurs  and  ministers,  who 
would  reflect  far  greater  honor  upon  us,  and 
secure  more  prosperity  to  the  nation,  than  can 
ever  be  derived  from  the  most  imposing  army 
of  brave  soldiers.  Were  only  a  tithe  of  the 
sums  annually  sacrificed  to  the  war  spirit  in 
Christian  Europe  in  times  of  peace  to  be  thus 
devoted,  there  would  be  enough  to  feed  all  the 
hungry,  to  clothe  all  the  naked,  to  educate  all 
the  ignorant,  to  place  the  Bible  in  every  desti¬ 
tute  family,  to  flood  the  globe  with  religious 


134 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


books  and  tracts,  and,  by  the  blessing*  of  God, 
to  civilize  and  Christianize  all  the  heathen 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  would  suffice  to 
erect  churches  in  every  village  and  hamlet,  and 
to  support  a  million  ministers  of  the  word, 
whose  voices  should  every  Sabbath  publish  to 
the  nations  the  glad  tidings  of  peace.  It  would 
sustain  and  increase  those  instrumentalities  by 
which  God  is  converting  the  world  to  himself ; 
would  carry  on  the  battle  of  the  Lord,  defeat 
the  enemies  of  truth,  and  plant  the  gospel  ban¬ 
ner  on  every  hill  and  in  every  valley  of  the 
habitable  globe. 

Christian,  can  you  withhold  your  efforts  from 
the  work  of  destroying  that  enemy  to  God  and 
man  which  is  preventing  such  mighty  and  eter¬ 
nally  blessed  results  ?  “  Shall  the  sword  devour 

for  ever  ?” 

II.  Another  of  the  evils  of  war,  and  one 
which  is  immeasurably  more  disastrous  than 
its  waste  of  property,  is  its  moral  effects, 
both  upon  those  engaged  in  it,  and  upon  the 
community  at  large. 

Robert  Hall  has  justly  observed,  “War  re¬ 
verses,  with  respect  to  its  objects,  all  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  morality.  It  is  nothing  less  than  a 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


135 


temporary  repeal  of  all  the  principles  of  virtue, 
and  is  a  system  from  which  almost  all  the  vir¬ 
tues  are  excluded,  and  into  which  nearly  all  the 
vices  are  incorporated."  Napoleon  recognized 
the  importance  of  a  depraved  character  to  a 
o-ood  soldier.  He  allowed  no  chaplain  in  his 
army,  and  was  accustomed  to  say,  “The  worse 
the  man,  the  better  the  soldier  ;  and  if  soldiers 
are  not  corrupt ,  they  should  he  made  so  ."  Of  a 
similar  character  is  the  testimony  of  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  who  is  reported  to  have  said, 
“Men  of  nice  scruples  about  religion  have  no 
business  in  the  army  or  navy."  War  is  the 
concentration  of  all  iniquities.  There  is  not 
one  of  the  black  catalogue  of  crimes  which  it 
does  not  foster,  while  those  of  the  deepest  dye 
are  actually  demanded  by  it.  From  its  very 
nature  it  transforms  large  numbers  of  those 
engaging  in  it  into  thieves  and  murdereis.  It 
openly  sets  at  defiance  every  law  of  God  ;  sub¬ 
verts  truth,  love,  justice,  purity,  and  temper¬ 
ance  ;  undermines  the  strongest  virtues ;  ob¬ 
literates,  for  the  time,  all  that  is  lovely  and 
amiable  in  human  character  j  blunts  the  moral 
sense ;  drowns  the  voice  of  conscience  and  of 
God,  and  renders  its  votaries  a  prey  to  the 


136 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


worst  of  passions.  It  sows  broadcast  through 
the  homes  of  Christendom  seeds  which  grow 
up  to  a  harvest  of  impiety,  and  which,  but  for 
the  word  of  divine  promise,  we  might  well  fear 
could  never  be  eradicated.  It  assimilates  men 
to  demons,  and  under  the  specious  disguises  of 
patriotism,  chivalry,  and  glory,  opens  the  flood¬ 
gates  of  evil,  and  deluges  the  world  with  guilt. 

1.  Look  at  its  immoral  effects  upon  soldiers. 
It  is  a  direct  appeal  to  the  most  unworthy  pas¬ 
sions  of  their  nature.  It  calls  forth  and  exer¬ 
cises  anger,  jealousy,  envy,  hatred,  and  resent¬ 
ment.  It  nourishes  malignant  dispositions,  and 
frowns  severely  upon  every  emotion  of  love  or 
pity  for  “  the  enemy”  It  requires  and  applauds 
that  fiendish  spirit  which  is  essential  to  its 
wholesale  murders  ;  and  he  who  is  the  most 
blinded  by  it,  and  the  most  recklessly  wreaks 
his  vindictive  malice  upon  others,  is  styled  a 
hero.  A  British  officer  who  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Inkerman,  says  of  the  combatants  in 
that  engagement,  “  I  saw  them  hanging  on  each 
other  like  gnashing  bull-dogs,  and  roll  on  the 
ground  over  and  over  again,  stabbing,  tearing, 
cutting,  and  wrangling,  like  men  who  had  lost 
every  characteristic  of  humanity ,  and  acquired  more 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


137 


than  tiger  ferocity.”  A  soldier,  who  was  en¬ 
gaged  in  one  of  the  battles  in  the  Crimea,  says 
in  a  letter  to  his  friends,  “  I  never  certainly 
felt  less  fear  in  my  life  than  I  did  at  that  time; 
and  I  hope  that  God  will  forgive  me,  for  I  felt 
more  like  a  devil  than  a  man  !”  The  very  main¬ 
spring  of  a  battle  is,  in  most  instances,  retalia¬ 
tion  to  the  death  ;  and  he  whose  bosom  is  not 
fired  with  the  purpose  of  murderous  revenge 
is  branded  with  cowardice. 

One  of  its  worst  evils  is  the  insensibility  to 
human  misery  which  it  engenders.  It  brutal¬ 
izes  men  into  an  utter  contempt  for  other’s 
woes.  It  carries  them  to  such  a  pitch  of  indif¬ 
ference,  that  they  can  behold  unmoved  the  dying 
pangs  of  thousands.  Nay  more,  the  eyes  that 
should  be  suffused  with  tears  at  the  spectacle 
of  the  battle-field,  learn  to  feast  on  it  with  joy ; 
and  the  view  of  mangled  limbs  and  heaped-up 
carcasses  thrills  the  bosom  of  the  “  good  sol¬ 
dier”  with  exquisite  delight.  He  replies  to 
the  groans  and  shrieks  of  the  dying  with  shouts 
of  exultation,  and  cheers  his  comrades  on  over 
their  prostrate  bodies  to  the  infliction  of  the 
same  miseries  upon  others.  Says  Labaume, 
writing  of  the  French  war  with  Russia,  “  This 


138 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


campaign  was  the  more  frightful,  as  it  demor¬ 
alized  our  character,  and  gave  birth  to  vices  till 
then  unknown  to  us  ;  and  they  who  had  been 
generous,  humane,  and  upright,  became  selfish, 
avaricious,  and  unjust.”  The  same  writer,  after 
describing  the  horrors  which  attended  the  re¬ 
turn  of  the  French  troops  from  Moscow,  says, 
“  These  horrors,  so  far  from  exciting  our  sensi¬ 
bility,  only  hardened  our  hearts.  Preserving 
the  plunder  of  Moscow  was  preferred  by  most 
to  the  pleasure  of  saving  a  comrade.  We  heard 
around  us  the  groans  of  the  dying,  and  the 
plaintive  voices  of  those  who  were  abandoned  ; 
but  all  were  deaf  to  their  cries,  and  if  any  one 
approached  them  when  on  the  point  of  death, 
it  was  for  the  purpose  of  stripping  them,  and 
searching  whether  they  had  any  remains  of 
food.”  The  following  extract  from  a  private 
letter  was  extensively  copied  by  the  British 
press,  with  the  heading,  “  A  brave  Guardsman’s 
use  of  his  Mother’s  Letters.”  “  I  don’t  want 
to  see  any  more  crying  letters  come  to  the 
Crimea  from  you.  Those  that  I  have  received 
I  have  put  into  my  rifle  after  loading  it,  and  have 
fired  them  at  the  Russians,  because  you  appear 
to  have  a  strong  dislike  to  them.  If  you  had 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


139 


seen  as  man)7  killed  as  I  have,  yon  would  not 
have  as  many  weak  ideas  as  you  have ;  besides 
being  present  when  the  shot,  shell,  and  mus¬ 
ketry  were  flying  past  and  ringing  around  you, 
bursting  and  killing  hundreds  on  your  right 
hand  and  on  your  left,  and  yourself  kept  firing 
until  the  sweat  streamed  from  you.’7  To  what 
a  state  of  brutish  degradation  must  they  have 
become  reduced,  who  can  thus  crush  all  the  best 
instincts  and  sympathies  of  the  human  heart! 
Yet  such  is  the  inevitable  tendency  of  war. 

Look,  too,  at  some  of  the  crimes  and  vices 
which  are  inseparable  from  it,  and  in  which 
the  large  majority  of  the  soldiery  engage.  War 
is  robbery.  Alexander  the  Great  once  asked  a 
pirate  who  had  been  brought  before  him,  “  By 
what  right  do  you  infest  the  seas  ?”  He  fear¬ 
lessly  replied,  “  By  the  same  that  you  infest  the 
universe.,  But  because  I  do  it  in  a  small  ship, 
I  am  called  a  robber  ;  and  because  you  do  the 
same  acts  with  a  great  fleet,  you  are  called  a 
conqueror  A  Of  an  equally  truthful  import  was 
the  language  of  the  Scythian  ambassadors  to 
the  same  monarch:  “You  boast  that  the  only 
design  of  your  marches  is  to  extirpate  robbers. 
You  yourself  are  the  greatest  robber  in  the 


140 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


world.”  What,  we  would  ask,  is  the  difference 
between  the  warrior  and  the  highwayman? 
By  what  rule  of  equity  can  we  distinguish  be¬ 
tween  the  crime  of  forcibly  despoiling  anoth¬ 
er’s  goods  under  the  cover  of  darkness,  and 
upon  a  lonely  road,  and  despoiling  them  openly 
and  by  daylight?  If  the  action  of  stealing  be 
a  crime,  the  fact  that  numbers  are  engaged  in 
it  cannot  make  it  a  virtue.  Every  principle 
of  justice  which  applies  to  individuals,  is  appli¬ 
cable  with  a  tenfold  greater  force  to  nations. 
If  a  single  theft  is  wrong,  how  much  worse  is 
that  which  is  perpetrated  by  a  band  of  ten  or 
twenty  thousand  robbers!  Every  difference 
between  the  highwayman  and  the  soldier  is  in 
favor  of  the  former  ;  for  he  is  perhaps  tempted 
to  his  crime  by  want,  while  war  robs  from 
choice,  and  often  for  the  sake  of  havoc.  The 
one  generally  allows  his  victim  to  choose  be¬ 
tween  surrendering  his  money  or  his  life  ;  the 
other  more  often  couples  its  crime  with  that  of 
murder.  Besides,  the  immense  thefts  commit¬ 
ted  by  a  ravaging  army  in  time  of  war  are  not 
the  only  ones  to  be  attributed  to  it.  Having 
become  schooled  to  pillage,  and  unfitted  for 
honorable  labor,  many  of  the  soldiers  after- 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


141 


wards  become  petty  thieves  or  pirates.  “  War 
makes  thieves,”  said  Machiavelli,  “  and  peace 
hangs  them.” 

o 

War  is  subversive  of  the  Sabbath.  It  only  rec¬ 
ognizes  this  holy  day  by  dissipation  and  revelry. 
Marches  and  even  battles  are  then  conducted 
with  little  or  no  hesitation.  The  battle  of 
Waterloo  was  fought  on  the  Sabbath — also  that 
of  Inkerman.  In  some  parts  of  Europe  it  is 
the  day  set  apart  for  militia  musters  and  the 
parade  of  the  regular  army.  In  many  places 
martial  music  salutes  the  ears  of  devout  wor¬ 
shippers  who  “  keep  holy  day,”  and  the  praises 
that  go  up  to  the  Prince  of  peace  are  often 
drowned  with  the  peculiar  notes  of  war.  Of 
course  these  parades  attract  large  numbers  of 
curious  idlers,  who  do  their  part  towards  rob¬ 
bing  God  of  the  services  appropriate  to  the 
day.  A  letter  from  the  Crimea,  Oct.  1854, 
says,  “  The  Russians  opened  a  very  heavy  can¬ 
nonade  on  us  this  morning ;  they  have  always 
done  so  on  Sundays.  Divine  service  was  per¬ 
formed  with  a  continued  bass  of  cannon  rolling 
through  the  responses  and  liturgy.” 

War  encourages  intemperance.  A  secretary  of 
war  in  the  United  States  once  observed,  “It 


142 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


will  never  do  to  give  up  the  use  of  ardent  spir¬ 
its  in  the  army  and  navy,  for  no  one  enlists  when 
he  is  sober”  If  this  be  even  an  approximation 
to  the  truth — as  probably  there  are  very  many 
exceptions  to  it — our  army  and  navy  must  be 
mostly  composed  of  persons  addicted  to  this 
vice.  Certain  it  is  that  the  “grog  ration”  has 
been  a  fruitful  source  of  evil  to  our  marine. 
The  militia  system,  also,  has  been  a  strong-hold 
of  intemperance.  Until  quite  recently,  almost 
every  muster-field  has  been  surrounded  with 
booths  and  stalls  for  the  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquors.  Many  of  the  spectators  as  well  as 
soldiers,  who  have  there  acquired  a  fondness 
for  the  cup,  have  afterwards  become  confirmed 
inebriates.  There  is,  too,  a  kind  of  connection 
between  war  and  wine.  Each  of  them  inflames 
the  passions,  and  gives  an  appetite  for  the 
other.  Indeed,  it  is  sometimes  deemed  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  soldier  to  madden  and  brutalize 
himself  with  drink  before  a  battle,  as  the  best 
preparation  for  it.  A  writer  from  “  before 
Sebastopol,”  in  1855,  says,  “In  one  division 
which  I  know  of,  two  hundred  and  ten  gallons 
of  rum  are  drank  every  day,  and  it  is  all  required. 
The  consumption  of  the  whole  army  must  be 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


143 


about  a  thousand  gallons  daily.”  In  one  of  the 
engagements  in  the  Crimea,  we  are  told,  “  The 
Russian  soldiers  were  all  ‘  as  drunk  as  fiddlers/ 
and  fought  like  madmen.  About  five  hundred 
prisoners  were  taken,  all  almost  too  drunk  to 
stand  upright.”  We  commend  these  facts  to 
the  attention  of  those  who  are  so  nobly  and 
successfully  battling  with  intemperance  through¬ 
out  the  world,  and  ask  whether  the  cause  of 
peace  and  that  of  temperance  should  not  go 
hand  in  hand  ? 

War  is  a  school  of  profanity.  “  He  swears 
like  a  trooper  '’  is  a  common  mode  of  describ¬ 
ing  great  profaneness.  This  vice  is  fashion¬ 
able  among  soldiers,  and  is  esteemed  by  some 
of  them  the  badge  of  a  gentleman.  For  an  offi¬ 
cer  to  give  his  orders  without  interlarding 
them  with  oaths,  would  be  considered  vulgar 
and  unmanly.  Indeed,  so  customary  has  it  be¬ 
come,  that  the  opinion  has  been  gravely  main¬ 
tained  that  “  the  work  of  a  ship  cannot  be  done 
without  swearing.”  The  battle-field  always 
resounds  with  blasphemies,  and  its  air  is  filled 
with  horrid  oaths  and  imprecations. 

War  fosters  licentiousness.  Soldiers  are  for 
the  most  part  dissolute  men,  and  the  means 


144 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


of  gratifying  their  depraved  lusts  are  seldom 
wanting.  This  vice,  it  is  estimated,  has  swept 
away  more  of  them  than  the  sword.  It  has 
been  remarked  that  the  breaches  of  the  seventh 
commandment  in  every  nation  are  proportioned 
to  its  warlike  spirit,  or  to  the  size  of  its  army 
and  navy.  Decency  forbids  that  we  present 
details  which  might  be  given  upon  this  subject. 
The  evil  is,  however,  well  known  and  gener¬ 
ally  admitted. 

War  is  murder.  No  species  of  plausible  rea¬ 
soning  can  prove  it  otherwise  than  a  clear  vio¬ 
lation  of  the  command,  “Thou  shalt  not  kill.77 
The  facts  that  it  is  deliberate,  and  sanctioned 
by  custom  and  the  authority  of  a  sovereign  or 
nation,  so  far  from  palliating  its  guilt,  only  in¬ 
crease  it.  Private  murders,  which  so  power¬ 
fully  affect  us,  and  the  perpetrators  of  which 
we  so  bitterly  denounce  and  hang,  are  far  less 
to  be  execrated.  They  are  generally  commit¬ 
ted  in  the  violence  of  sudden  passion.  Wars 
are  premeditated,  and  the  result  of  calm  debate 
and  cool  calculation.  In  the  one  case,  a  man 
kills  his  enemy  ;  in  the  other,  men  are  bid  to 
kill  those  whom  they  have  never  before  seen, 
and  witli  whom  they  have  had  no  personal  dif- 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


145 


ferences.  In  the  one,  a  single  being  is  launched 
into  eternity;  in  the  other,  thousands.  War, 
too,  inflicts  deaths  of  extremest  suffering.  The 
greater  number  of  its  victims  linger  for  hours, 
and  many  of  them  for  days,  in  the  most  aggra¬ 
vated  torture,  and  groan  out  their  lives  amid 
every  thing  that  can  make  death  ghastly  and 
unwelcome,  and  thus  go  to  the  judgment  of  Him 
who  has  said,  “No  murderer  hath  eternal  life 
abiding  in  him.'"’  Are  those  who  voluntarily 
hurl  them  there  any  the  less  murderers  because 
“obeying  orders/7  and  preferring  to  serve  a 
brutal  sovereign  or  commander  rather  than 
God?  No  ;  the  brand  of  Cain  is  upon  their 
brows,  and  although  not  seen  by  blind*  human 
justice,  is  plainly  evident  to  the  just  Almighty. 

2.  Look  at  the  immoral  effects  of  war  upon 
communities .  We  can  imagine  the  influence 
which  an  army  of  criminals  and  vicious  persons 
would  exert  upon  the  public  at  large.  Their 
example  must  necessarily  infect  large  numbers 
with  whom  they  associate  in  times  of  peace. 
Especially  do  the  public  morals  always  suffer 
at  the  seat  of  war.  Under  the  corrupting  in¬ 
fluences  of  an  invading  or  defending  army,  the 
peaceful  inhabitants  become  familiarized  with 

Right  Way  1  0 


146 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


scenes  of  grossest  iniquity.  Their  hearts  be¬ 
come  gradually  hardened  to  the  view  of  human 
suffering,  and  grow  brutal  and  unfeeling.  Ma¬ 
lignant  passions  are  aroused,  and  glow  fiercely 
in  many  bosoms.  The  restraints  of  virtue, 
openly  set  at  defiance  by  so  many  around  them, 
lose  much  of  their  power.  As  the  means  of 
honorable  subsistence  diminish,  the  temptations 
to  crime  are  increased,  and  the  weak  and  irres¬ 
olute  yield  to  them  as  their  only  method  of 
relief.  Piety  languishes ;  religion  becomes  a 
byword ;  profanity,  intemperance,  and  profli¬ 
gacy  reign  triumphant ;  the  solemn  services  of 
God’s  house  are  suspended,  or  at  least  neglect¬ 
ed,  and  hell  seems  to  hold  high  carnival.  A 
deserter  from  Sebastopol  to  the  allied  camp, 
during  the  siege  of  that  city,  said,  “  The  place 
is  a  perfect  hell!”  The  historian  of  the  “  Thirty 
Years’  War”  thus  depicts  the  condition  of  the 
public  morals,  both  among  the  soldiery  and  the 
populace,  during  its  continuance  :  “  Such  was 
the  state  of  triumphant  crime  that  many,  driven 
to  despair,  denied  even  the  existence  of  a  Deitjq 
declaring  that  if  there  were  a  God  in  heaven, 
he  would  not  fail  to  destroy  with  thunder  and 
lightning  such  a  world  of  sin  and  wickedness.” 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


147 


And  these  evils  are  not  confined  to  the  seat  of 
war,  but  extend  to  places  more  remote.  The 
admiration  of  splendid  military  achievements; 
the  pride  of  successful  warfare,  or  the  anger  of 
defeat ;  the  public  gratulations  and  illumina¬ 
tions  that  celebrate  every  brilliant  exploit,  and 
testify  the  common  joy  over  an  unusually  mur¬ 
derous  victory  ;  the  popular  thirst  for  military 
glory  which  is  excited,  and  the  sentiments  of 
revenge  everywhere  nourished — all  these  tend 
to  demoralize  to  an  alarming  degree  the  entire 
countries  engaged  in  war. 

Friends  of  virtue,  lovers  of  morality,  Chris¬ 
tians,  can  you  sanction  this  terrible  source  of 
iniquity?  “Shall  the  sword  devour  for  ever  V 

III.  Look  at  the  destruction  of  domestic 
happiness  caused  by  war. 

It  rudely  summons  men  from  their  homes  and 
firesides,  and,  regardless  of  the  most  tender  re¬ 
lations  of  life  and  the  claims  of  natural  affec¬ 
tion,  bids  them  exchange  scenes  of  endearing 
love  for  those  of  hate,  and  the  charms  of  a  hap¬ 
py  fireside  for  long,  weary  marches,  and  expo¬ 
sure  to  the  worst  of  deaths.  It  takes  him  whose 
manly  strength  is  the  support  of  a  devoted  fam¬ 
ily,  in  whom  centre  many  affections  and  fond 


148 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


hopes,  and  who  gives  promise  of  long  years  of 
usefulness,  and  hurries  him  away  to  a  work  in 
which  he  cannot  probably  survive  more  than 
three  years.  Or  it  takes  the  son,  whose  budding 
manhood  is  the  pride  of  many  hearts,  and  tears 
him  away  with  the  prospect  that  he  may  never 
return,  but  die  in  a  far-off  land,  cut  down  like 
a  brute,  with  no  fond  eye  to  weep  his  untimely 
end,  and  no  kind  hand  to  bind  up  his  wounds, 
or  close  his  eyes,  or  perform  for  him  the  last 
sad  offices  of  love. 

Look  at  one  of  the  ten  thousand  homes  thus 
desolated  by  war.  The  wife  broods  over  the 
absent  one  who  has  been  ruthlessly  snatched 
from  her  embrace,  and  perhaps  plies  wearily 
the  needle  to  which  she  is  compelled  to  resort 
for  livelihood.  The  mother  misses  the  familiar 
tones  of  her  idolized  son,  whom  she  had  hoped 
would  be  the  staff  of  her  old  age.  The  prat¬ 
tling  infants  repeat  with  wondering  anxiety  the 
name  of  “father/'7  and  miss  his  accustomed  ca¬ 
ress.  A  shadow  is  upon  every  brow,  and  it  is 
with  sad  misgivings  that  they  await  the  intelli¬ 
gence  from  the  seat  of  war,  and  pore  over  the 
•accounts  of  glorious  victories  abroad.  After 
months  of  agonizing  suspense,  they  discover 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


149 


the  name  they  love  best  among  the  “killed.” 
It  becomes  a  house  of  mourning ;  the  wife  is  a 
widow,  and  the  children  fatherless  ;  their  home 
is  made  desolate,  and  they  perhaps  become  out¬ 
casts  and  wanderers  in  the  world.  They  go 
abroad,  weighed  down  under  a  life-long  grief, 
unhappy  monuments  to  the  cruelty  of  that  sys¬ 
tem  which  has  deprived  them  of  their  heaven- 
provided  guardian  and  protector.  The  7 lation’s 
heart  looks  only  upon  the  glory  of  a  successful 
battle ;  or  if  it  grieve  at  all  over  those  who 
perished  by  it,  its  grief  vanishes  even  more 
rapidly  than  the  smoke  from  the  battle-field. 
But  no  length  of  years  can  lift  the  pall  from 
the  hearts  of  the  widowed  and  fatherless. 

This  is  but  a  faint  picture  of  the  domestic 
desolations  produced  by  a  single  battle  in  thou¬ 
sands  of  homes.  The  battle  of  Waterloo  is  said 
to  have  clothed  no  small  part  of  England  in 
mourning.  Bourrienne  says  of  Napoleon  s  cam¬ 
paign  in  Russia,  “  How  many  wives  and  moth¬ 
ers  in  France  could  not,  without  a  palpitating 
heart,  break  the  cover  of  the  official  gazette ! 
How  many  families  lost  their  support  and  their 
hope!  Never  were  more  tears  shed.  In  vain 
did  the  cannon  of  the  Invalides  thunder  forth 


150 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  announcement  of  a  victory.  How  many 
thousands,  in  the  silence  of  retirement,  were 
even  then  preparing  the  external  symbols  of 
mourning !  It  is  still  remembered  that  for  the 
long  space  of  six  months  the  black  dresses  of 
Paris  presented  a  very  striking  appearance  in 
every  part  of  the  city.”  What  a  monstrous 
system  of  injustice  is  that  which  thus  involves 
the  innocent  with  the  guilty,  and  for  the  sake 
of  humbling  a  public  enemy,  cruelly  rends  the 
fondest  ties  of  private  life. 

There  are  other  devastations  of  the  domestic 
hearth  attendant  upon  a  state  of  war  which  are 
of  the  most  revolting  character.  The  scenes  of 
outrage  which  usually  follow  the  capture  of  a 
town  or  city,  are  enough  to  make  the  blood  run 
cold,  and  the  whole  frame  shiver  with  horror. 
A  writer,  describing  the  bombardment  of  Vera 
Cruz  by  the  United  States  troops  in  1847,  says, 
“I  heard  a  great  many  heart-rending  tales 
which  were  told  by  the  survivors  ;  but  I  have 
neither  the  inclination  nor  the  time  to  repeat 
them.  One,  however,  I  will  name.  A  French 
family  were  quietly  seated  in  their  parlor  the 
evening  previous  to  hoisting  the  white  flag, 
when  a  shell  from  one  of  our  mortars  pene- 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


151 


trated  the  building,  and  exploded  in  the  room, 
killing  the  mother  and  four  children,  and  wound¬ 
ing  the  residue.'7  After  the  capture  of  the 
town  of  Kertch  by  the  Allies,  in  1855,  it  is 
related  that  Turkish  stragglers  and  others 
“flocked  into  the  town,  and  perpetrated  the 
most  atrocious  crimes.  To  pillage  and  wanton 
devastation,  they  added  violation  and  murder. 
One  miscreant  was  shot  as  he  came  down  the 
street  in  triumph,  waving  a  sword  wet  with  the 
blood  of  a  poor  child  whom  he  had  hacked  to 
pieces.  Others  were  slain  in  the  very  act  of 
committing  horrible  outrages.77 

An  instance  of  one  home  made  desolate  in 
our  revolutionary  war  is  heart-rending.  It  is 
the  well-known  case  of  Colonel  Hayne.  His 
wife  and  six  children  were  still  living  when  he 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  and  sen¬ 
tenced  to  be  hung.  His  wife  soon  afterwards 
fell  a  victim  to  disease  and  grief.  Strenuous 
efforts  were  made  for  his  release,  and  his  six 
motherless  children  knelt  as  suitors  for  their 
father 7s  life,  but  in  vain.  His  eldest  son,  a  boy 
of  thirteen,  upon  seeing  his  father  loaded  with 
irons,  and  condemned  to  the  gallows,  was  over¬ 
come  with  grief,  and  throwing  his  arms  around 


152 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


his  neck,  cried,  “  0  my  father,  I  will  die  with 
you — 1  will  die  with  you,  father !”  The  next 
morning  he  was  led  forth  to  execution.  As 
they  neared  the  gallows,  he  said  to  his  son, 
who  accompanied  him,  “  Now,  my  son,  show 
yourself  a  man.  That  tree  is  the  boundary  of 
my  life  and  all  its  sorrows.  Beyond  that  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary 
are  at  rest.  Don’t  lay  our  separation  too  much 
to  heart — it  will  be  short  at  longest.  It  was 
but  the  other  day  your  dear  mother  died  ;  to¬ 
day  I  die  ;  and  you,  my  son,  though  young, 
must  follow  shortly.”  “  Yes,  my  father,”  re¬ 
plied  the  broken-hearted  boy,  “  I  shall  follow 
you  shortly,  for  I  feel  that  indeed  I  can’t,  can’t 
live  long.”  His  words  were  fulfilled.  Upon 
seeing  his  father  struggling  in  the  death-agony 
upon  the  gallows,  “he  stood  transfixed  with 
horror.  Till  then  he  had  all  along  wept  pro¬ 
fusely  as  some  relief  to  his  agonized  feelings — 
but  that  sight !  It  dried  up  the  fountain  of  his 
tears  ;  he  never  wept  again.  His  reason  reeled 
upon  the  spot ;  he  became  an  incurable  maniac  ; 
and  in  his  last  moments  he  called  out,  and  kept 
calling  out  for  his  father,  in  tones  that  drew 
tears  from  the  hardest  hearts.” 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


153 


Let  such  instances  suffice  to  show  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  war  upon  the  homes  of  the  world.  Shall 
it  continue  thus  to  pollute  and  desecrate  and 
destroy  those  shrines  of  the  affections  ?  Shall 
the  heart’s  peculiar  sanctuary  be  thus  laid 
waste,  and  converted  into  a  scene  of  fiendish 
outrage  ?  Shall  that  system  be  any  longer  tol¬ 
erated  which  invades  the  sacred  precincts  of  the 
domestic  hearth,  and  there  immolates  best-loved 
objects  to  this  insatiate  Moloch,  cutting  down 
valued  and  innocent  lives,  and  breaking  the 
hearts  that  loved  them  ?  “  Shall  the  sword  de¬ 

vour  for  ever 


154 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EVILS  OF  WAR  — CONTINUED. 

IY.  Look  at  the  personal  sufferings  of 

THE  BATTLE-FIELD. 

These  are  beyond  the  power  of  imagination 
to  conceive,  or  pen  to  describe.  The  effort  to 
portray  them  has  frequently  been  made,  and 
the  page  of  history  is  blackened  with  narra¬ 
tions  of  them  which  seem  enough  to  dissolve 
the  most  hardened  in  tears.  But  no  pen  has 
ever  painted  a  hundredth  part  of  the  sufferings 
that  have  been  thus  inflicted.  We  read  the 
story  of  an  engagement,  of  the  number  killed 
and  wounded,  and  of  the  subsequent  appearance 
of  the  field  of  conflict,  and  we  perhaps  drop  a 
tear  over  the  pathetic  narrative,  and  turn  from 
it  shuddering  with  horror.  Yet  after  all  we 
have  only  a  general  view  of  the  scene.  The 
mind  does  not  take  in  each  particular  pang  of 
the  sufferers,  nor  can  it.  By  a  merciful  provis¬ 
ion  of  our  Creator,  we  cannot  conceive  of  a 
tithe  of  that  woe  which,  if  vividly  realized, 
would  overwhelm  us  with  unavailing  sorrow. 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


155 


Yet  we  should  by  no  means  close  our  eyes  to 
it.  It  is  one  of  the  designs  of  Providence  in 
forming  our  hearts  tender  and  sympathizing, 
that  they  shall,  by  feeling  for  misery,  be  impel¬ 
led  to  its  alleviation. 

Visit  in  imagination  the  field  of  battle.  The 
chosen  spot  is  perhaps  one  teeming  with  the 
fruits  of  successful  industry.  The  calm  still¬ 
ness — the  happy  aspect  of  all  nature — the  cul- 
vated  fields — the  waving  harvests — the  abound¬ 
ing  thrift  and  plenty — the  lowing  herds — the 
shouts  of  husbandmen — the  songs  of  birds  and 
children — and  the  smiling  cottages  and  gar¬ 
dens — all  indicate  the  presence  of  love  and 
peace.  Presently  the  Sabbath-like  quiet  is 
broken  by  distant  sounds  of  music.  Upon 
either  side  it  advances,  and  you  soon  hear  the 
steady  tramp  of  armies  approaching  in  oppo¬ 
site  directions.  The  flaunting  plumes  and  ban¬ 
ners,  the  forest  of  glistening  bayonets,  and  the 
brilliant  uniforms  of  a  hundred  thousand  men, 
form  an  imposing  spectacle,  and  the  eye  is  daz¬ 
zled  by  the  serried  array  of  splendors.  A 
pause,  and  then  they  meet  with  a  tremendous 
shock,  and  amid  the  roaring  of  cannon,  and  the 
rattling  of  musketry,  fulfil  the  purpose  which 


156 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


has  brought  them  there.  Balls  and  bombshells 
pass  each  other  in  the  air  with  incredible  ra¬ 
pidity.  Some  lose  their  heads,  others  their 
limbs,  and  at  every  exchange  of  shots  hundreds 
are  mangled  and  mutilated.  As  the  foremost 
columns  fall,  others  press  on  over  their  heaped- 
up  bodies.  Galloping  war  horses  trample  upon 
the  wounded,  or  stumble  over  them  and  crush 
out  their  lingering  lives.  Ever  and  anon  a 
shell  explodes  in  the  midst  of  a  closely  packed 
mass  of  human  beings,  and  scatters  them  about 
in  bloody  fragments.  Frenzied  shrieks  and 
groans  fill  the  air,  the  discordant  chorus  being 
every  moment  augmented  by  the  voices  of  new 
sufferers.  And  still  on,  and  on,  for  hour  after 
hour,  rages  the  infernal  work,  with  a  power 
which  is  only  limited  by  the  deathful  capacity 
of  their  weapons,  or  by  the  loss  of  hands  to 
wield  them. 

At  length  one  army  or  the  other  is  victorious, 
and  hostilities  are  for  a  while  suspended.  The 
smoke  lifts  itself  slowly  from  the  field — as  if 
reluctant  to  unveil  such  carnage  to  the  view  of 
heaven — and  you  once  more  gaze  upon  the 
scene.  How  changed !  Instead  of  the  life- 
sustaining  harvest,  there  is  4  harvest  of  death- 


EYILS  OF  WAR. 


157 


The  cottages  are  burned,  their  inmates  mur¬ 
dered,  and  sweet,  innocent  children  lie  welter¬ 
ing  in  their  blood,  or  else  cling,  terrified  and 
sobbing,  to  the  lifeless  forms  of  their  parents. 
You  go  through  the  battle-field.  Groans  and 
outcries  and  mad  blasphemies  salute  the  ear  on 
every  side.  Here  lies  one  whose  distorted  fea¬ 
tures  and  pleading  eye  express  the  agony  his 
lips  refuse  to  utter.  Here  is  a  moving  mass  of 
beings,  whom  you  would  scarcely  recognize  as 
human,  vainly  endeavoring  to  extricate  them¬ 
selves  from  the  pile  or  trench  which  has  re¬ 
ceived  them  while  yet  living.  Here  is  an 
unhappy  wretch,  clasping  to  his  breast  the  pic¬ 
ture  of  a  loved  wife  or  mother  whom  he  will 
never  behold  again  ;  another,  frantic  with  ago¬ 
ny,  calling  upon  God  to  save  his  soul ;  another 
ending  his  tortures,  now  grown  beyond  endur¬ 
ance,  by  suicide  ;  another,  more  timid,  begging 
you  to  end  them  for  him ;  another  appealing 
piteously  for  water  ;  another  for  help  to  move. 
There  lies  one  whom  pain  has  bereft  of  reason, 
and  whose  clinched  hands,  and  glaring  eye,  and 
raving  words  proclaim  him  a  maniac.  Every¬ 
where  you  behold  men  writhing  under  their 
sufferings  of  body  and  distractions  of  mind, 


158 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


and  crying  out,  with  frantic  vehemence,  to  God 
and  man  for  relief.  But  with  most  of  them  in 
vain.  The  hot  sun  beats  upon  them,  or  the 
cold  storm  pelts  them,  and  thus  they  will  lie, 
bleeding  and  helpless,  until  they  die  of  their 
wounds  or  their  exposure,  or  else  of  starvation. 

And  who  are  these  visitors,  picking  their 
way  among  fallen  bodies  and  scanning  so  ea¬ 
gerly  their  features  ?  They  are  parents  search¬ 
ing  for  their  sons,  wives  for  their  husbands, 
and  friends  for  friends.  Ever  and  anon  a 
mournful  wail  announces  that  some  one  has 
found  the  object  of  his  search.  Others  are 
thieves  and  robbers,  who  unfeelingly  strip  the 
dying  of  their  property,  and  only  answer  their 
entreaties  and  remonstrances  with  abuse  or 
death.  Birds  of  prey  hover  greedily  about, 
and  like  many  who  swarm  the  field  in  human 
form,  seize  indiscriminately  upon  the  living 
and  the  dead.  What  a  concentration  of  un¬ 
mitigated  woe  meets  in  the  compass  of  a  single 
battle-field !  Is  there  any  scene  that  so  nearly 
resembles  a  hell  on  earth  ? 

Perhaps  we  cannot  better  gain  an  idea  of  its 
sufferings  than  by  glancing  at  those  of  one  indi¬ 
vidual  wounded  in  battle,  and  then  multiplying 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


159 


them  by  ten,  twenty,  or  fifty  thousand.  As  an 
instance,  take  the  statement  of  Sergeant  Mil- 
ton,  who  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Eesaca 
de  la  Palma.  Speaking  of  the  celebrated  charge 
of  May’s  dragoons,  lie  says,  “  At  that  moment 
a  ball  passed  through  my  horse  on  the  left  side, 
and  shattered  my  right  leg.  The  shot  killed 
the  horse  instantly,  and  he  fell  upon  my  left 
leg,  fastening  me  by  liis  weight  to  the  earth. 
There  I  lay,  right  in  the  midst  of  the  action, 
where  carnage  was  riding  riot,  and  every  mo¬ 
ment  the  shot,  from  our  own  and  the  Mexican 
guns,  was  tearing  up  the  earth  around  me.  I 
tried  to  raise  my  horse  so  as  to  extricate  my 
leg,  but  I  had  already  grown  so  weak  with  my 
wound  that  I  was  unable,  and,  from  the  mere 
attempt,  I  fell  back  exhausted.  To  add  to  my 
horror,  a  horse  who  was  careering  about  rider¬ 
less,  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  received  a  wound, 
and  commenced  struggling  and  rearing  with 
pain.  Two  or  three  times  he  came  near  falling 
on  me,  but  at  length,  with  a  scream  of  agony 
and  a  bound,  he  fell  dead,  his  body  touching 
my  own  fallen  steed.  What  I  had  been  in 
momentary  dread  of  now  occurred — my  wound¬ 
ed  limb,  which  was  lying  across  the  horse,  re- 


160 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ceived  another  ball  in  the  ankle.  I  now  felt  dis¬ 
posed  to  give  up  ;  and,  exhausted  through  pain 
and  excitement,  a  film  gathered  over  my  eyes, 
which  I  thought  was  the  precursor  of  disso¬ 
lution.  .  .  .  The  tide  of  action  now  rolled 

away  from  me,  and  hope  again  sprung  up . 

While  I  was  thus  nursing  the  prospect  of 
escape,  I  beheld,  not  far  from  me,  a  villainous- 
looking  rancher o,  armed  with  an  American  ser¬ 
geant’s  short  sword,  despatching  a  wounded 
American  soldier,  whose  body  he  robbed.  The 
next  he  came  to  was  a  Mexican,  whom  he  served 
the  same  way ;  and  thus  I  looked  on  while  he 
murderously  slew  four.  I  drew  an  undischarged 
pistol  from  my  holsters,  and  laying  myself  along 
my  horse’s  neck,  watched  him,  expecting  to  be 
the  next  victim ;  but  something  frightened  him 
from  his  vulture-like  business,  and  he  fled  in 
another  direction.  .  .  .  Two  hours  after,  1 
had  the  pleasure  of  shaking  some  of  my  com¬ 
rades  by  the  hand,  who  were  picking  up  the 
wounded.” 

Again,  then,  survey  the  battle-field,  and  with 
this  statement  of  a  single  wounded  man  for  a 
clue,  try  to  conceive  of  the  aggregate  pains  of 
all  the  others.  A  writer  describing  the  battle- 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


161 


field  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  says,  “  The  even¬ 
ing  closed  on  hundreds  of  them — the  Mexi¬ 
cans — wounded,  dying,  and  dead  upon  the  field 
and  on  the  road  to  the  river.  In  the  panic  of 
flight,  self-preservation  was  the  single  thought 
of  each  individual.  The  bleeding  and  the  ex¬ 
hausted  were  borne  down  and  forsaken  by  the 
sound  and  the  strong.  The  parties  on  foot 
were  trampled  by  the  cavalry ;  and  none  of 
the  multitude  fleeing  from  their  foes  found  help 
or  comfort  from  their  friends.  The  thickets 
and  the  hollows  distant  from  the  scene  of  strife, 
long  afterwards  told  the  story  of  many  a  wound¬ 
ed  soldier  who  had  struggled  on  to  some  se¬ 
cluded  spot,  there  to  linger,  to  thirst,  to  hunger, 
to  bleed,  to  faint,  and  to  perish  alone  in  his  long 
and  varied  agony.” 

The  battle  of  Borodino,  in  which  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  sixty  thousand  men  were  engaged,  is 
thus  described  by  an  eye-witness :  “The  fire  of 
two  hundred  pieces  of  cannon  enveloped  the 
two  armies  in  smoke,  and  mowing  down  whole 
battalions  of  men,  strewed  the  field  with  the 
dead  and  wounded.  The  latter  fell  to  expose 
themselves  to  a  fate  still  more  terrible.  How 
agonizing  their  situation.  Forty  thousand  dra- 

Right  Way.  1  1 


162 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


goons,  crossing  the  field  in  every  direction, 
trampled  them  under  foot,  and  dyed  their 
horses7  hoofs  in  their  blood !  The  flying  artil¬ 
lery,  in  rapid  and  alternate  advance  and  re¬ 
treat,  put  a  period  to  the  anguish  of  some,  and 
inflicted  new  torments  on  others,  who  were 
mangled  by  their  wheels.  .  .  .  Night  sepa¬ 
rated  the  combatants,  but  left  eighty  thousand 
men  dead  on  the  field.77  In  traversing  the  field 
the  next  day,  he  beheld  “a  surface  of  about 
nine  miles  square  in  extent  covered  with  the 
killed  and  wounded.77  “  But,77  he  adds,  “  the 
most  dreadful  spectacle  of  all  was  the  interior 
of  the  ravines,  where  the  wounded  had  instinc¬ 
tively  crawled  to  avoid  the  shot.  Here  these 
unfortunate  wretches,  lying  one  upon  another, 
destitute  of  assistance,  and  weltering  in  their 
blood,  uttered  the  most  horrid  groans.  Loudly 
invoking  death,  they  besought  us  to  put  an  end 
to  their  excruciating  torments.77 

The  same  writer,  describing  the  sickening  hor¬ 
rors  that  attended  the  entrance  of  the  French 
troops  to  Moscow,  says,  “The  hospitals,  con¬ 
taining  more  than  twelve  thousand  wounded ,  began 
at  length  to  burn.  The  heart  recoils  at  the  dis¬ 
aster  which  ensued.  Almost  all  those  wretched 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


163 


victims  perished !  The  few  still  living  were 
seen  crawling,  half  burnt,  from  the  smoking 
ashes,  or  groaning  under  the  heaps  of  dead 
bodies,  and  making  ineffectual  efforts  to  extri¬ 
cate  themselves.77  A  similar  occurrence  took 
place  during  the  siege  of  Sebastopol,  when  a 
hospital  of  that  city,  said  to  have  contained 
two  thousand  sick  and  wounded,  was  set  on 
fire  by  the  guns  of  the  allies,  and  burned  to  the 
ground ! 

Mr.  Russell,  the  London  Times  correspond¬ 
ent,  thus  describes  the  scenes  subsequent  to  the 
battle  of  Inkermann,  in  which  about  eleven 
thousand  were  killed  and  wounded  :  “  In  every 
bush,  on  every  yard  of  blood-stained  ground, 
lay  a  dead  or  dying  Russian.  The  British  and 
the  French,  many  of  whom  had  been  murdered 
by  the  Russians  as  they  lay  wounded,  wore  ter¬ 
rible  frowns  on  their  faces,  with  which  the  ago¬ 
nies  of  death  had  clad  them.  Some,  in  their 
last  throes,  had  torn  up  the  earth  in  their 
hands,  and  held  the  grass  in  their  fingers  up 
towards  heaven.  .  .  .  But  the  wounded — for 
two  long  days  they  had  lain  where  the  hand  and 
the  ball  had  felled  them.  .  .  .  The  Russians, 
groaning  and  palpitating  as  they  lay  around, 


164 


THE  RIGHT  WAT. 


were  far  more  numerous.  Some  of  these  were 
placed  together  in  heaps,  that  they  might  be 
the  more  readily  removed.  Others  glared  on 
you  from  the  bushes,  with  the  ferocity  of  wild 
beasts,  as  they  hugged  their  wounds.  Some  im¬ 
plored  in  an  unknown  tongue,  but  in  accents 
not  to  be  mistaken,  water,  or  succor — holding 
out  their  mutilated  and  shattered  limbs,  or 
pointing  to  the  track  of  the  lacerating  ball.'7 

The  same  writer  thus  describes  the  scene 
presented  by  the  hospital  of  Sebastopol,  imme¬ 
diately  after  its  occupation  by  the  allies :  “  En¬ 
tering  one  of  these  doors,  I  beheld  such  a  sight 
as  few  men,  thank  God,  have  ever  witnessed. 
In  a  long  low  room,  supported  by  square  pillars, 
arched  at  the  top,  and  dimly  lighted  through 
shattered  and  unglazed  window  frames,  lay  the 
wounded  Russians,  who  had  been  abandoned 
to  our  mercies  by  their  general.  The  wound¬ 
ed,  did  I  say?  No,  but  the  dead,  the  rotten 
and  festering  corpses  of  the  soldiers  who  were 
left  to  die  in  their  extreme  agony,  untended, 
uncared  for,  packed  as  close  as  they  could  be 
stowed,  some  on  the  floor,  others  on  wretched 
trestles  and  bedsteads,  or  pallets  of  straw,  sop¬ 
ped  and  saturated  with  blood,  which  oozed  and 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


165 


trickled  through  upon  the  floor,  mingled  with 
the  droppings  of  corruption.  With  the  roar  of 
exploding  fortresses  in  their  ears,  with  shells 
and  shot  forcing  through  the  roof  and  sides  of 
the  rooms  in  which  they  lay,  with  the  crackling 
and  hissing  of  fire  around  them,  those  poor 
fellows,  who  had  served  their  loving  friend 
and  master  the  Czar  but  too  well,  were  con¬ 
signed  to  their  terrible  fate.  Many  might  have 
been  saved  by  ordinary  care.  Many  lay,  yet 
alive,  with  maggots  crawling  in  their  wounds. 
Many  nearly  mad  by  the  scene  around  them, 
or  seeking  escape  from  it  in  their  extremest 
agony,  had  rolled  away  under  the  beds,  and 
glared  out  on  the  heart-stricken  spectators,  0 
with  such  looks  !  Many  with  legs  and  arms  bro¬ 
ken  and  twisted,  the  jagged  splinters  sticking 
through  the  raw  flesh,  implored  aid,  water,  food, 
or  pity  ;  or,  deprived  of  speech  by  the  approach 
of  death,  or  by  dreadful  injuries  on  the  head  or 
trunk,  pointed  to  the  lethal  spot.  Many  seemed 
bent  alone  on  making  their  peace  with  heaven. 
The  attitudes  of  some  were  so  hideously  fan¬ 
tastic  as  to  appal  one  by  a  sort  of  dreadful  fas¬ 
cination.  Could  that  bloody  mass  of  clothing 
and  white  bones  ever  have  been  a  human  being, 


166 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


or  that  burnt  black  mass  of  flesh  have  ever 
had  a  human  soul?  It  was  fearful  to  think 
what  the  answer  must  be.  .  .  .  I  confess  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  stand  the  sight,  which 
horrified  our  most  experienced  surgeons.  .  .  . 
But  what  must  the  wounded  have  felt  who 
were  obliged  to  endure  all  this,  and  who  passed 
away  without  a  hand  to  give  them  a  cup  of 
water,  or  a  voice  to  say  one  kindly  word  to 
them!77 

In  the  Chinese  insurrection,  1854-5,  the  city 
of  Fuhshan,  containing  a  population  of  six  hun¬ 
dred  thousand,  was  set  on  fire  by  the  insur¬ 
gents.  The  conflagration  lasted  three  days, 
and  two  hundred  thousand  people ,  according  to 
the  Chinese  estimate — which,  however,  may  be 
an  exaggerated  one — were  burned  to  death ! 

But  we  forbear.  Enough  has  been  said  to 
give  a  faint  picture  of  the  personal  sufferings 
entailed  upon  mankind  by  war.  Edmund  Burke 
has  estimated  the  total  loss  of  life  by  war  at 
thirty-five  thousand  millions.  0  what  tears  and 
sighs  and  groans — what  pains  of  body  and 
griefs  of  mind — what  crushed  hopes — what 
bleeding,  broken  hearts,  have  attended  the  rav¬ 
ages  of  this  cruel  demon  among  so  many  of  our 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


167 


race !  W e  often  sliudder  at  the  view  of  a  single 
sufferer  by  disease  or  accident;  and  although 
he  may  be  a  stranger  to  us,  shed  tears  of  kindly 
sympathy  for  his  woes.  How,  then,  should  we 
be  affected  by  the  view  of  millions  writhing 
under  tortures  such  as  are  rarely,  if  ever,  wit¬ 
nessed  in  a  peaceful  land !  There  are  many 
who  weep  profusely  over  the  fictitious  suffer¬ 
ings  of  imaginary  heroes,  when  painted  by  a 
pathetic  novelist.  What  scalding  tears,  then, 
should  suffuse  the  eyes  that  read  of  War’s  real 
havoc !  And  here  tears  are  manly,  and  it  is 
weakness  to  withhold  them.  Upon  such  a  sub¬ 
ject  as  this,  not  to  feel  is  to  repudiate  every 
higher  instinct  of  our  nature,  and  become  worse 
than  brutalized. 

True,  the  view  of  such  suffering  is  soul-har¬ 
rowing  and  shocking  to  refined  sensibilities; 
but  shall  we  permit  the  evil  to  go  unpitied  and 
unalleviated  because  it  is  so  gigantic  an  evil  ?  Or 
perhaps  there  are  some  who,  familiar  with  his¬ 
tory  and  accustomed  to  such  details,  have  ceased 
to  be  touched  by  them.  Is  it  so,  then,  that  the 
very  frequency  of  this  curse  must  render  us  in¬ 
sensible  to  it?  Had  there  been  but  one  or  two 
battles  in  the  world’s  history,  they  would  be 


168 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


universally  deplored;  but  because  there  have 
been  thousands,  they  are  regarded  by  many 
with  indifference !  Do  we  need  any  other  proof 
of  the  evil  of  war  than  this — that  it  has  ren¬ 
dered  it  so  common  for  men  to  suffer ,  that  their  suf¬ 
ferings  almost  cease  to  affect  us  ?  The  world  has 
become,  in  this  respect,  very  much  like  the  ex¬ 
perienced  soldier,  who,  though  once  he  would 
not  knowingly  have  trampled  upon  an  insect, 
is  habituated  to  behold  unmoved  the  most  ex¬ 
cruciating  agonies  of  his  fellow-men.  Is  it 
not  time  that  we  cast  aside  the  stony  exterior 
with  which  habit  or  prejudice  has  encrusted 
our  hearts,  and  allow  them  to  be  impressed 
with  those  woes  which  are  so  well  calculated 
to  move  them  ?  “  Shall  the  sword  devour  for 

ever  ?” 

V.  Prominent  among  the  evils  of  war  is  the 
loss  of  life  which  it  occasions. 

The  destruction  of  human  life  is  its  avowed 
object.  It  is  with  reference  to  this  that  weap¬ 
ons  are  invented  and  forged,  and  the  most 
deadly  forces  of  nature  and  art  studied  out  and 
applied.  Human  ingenuity  is  tasked  to  its 
utmost  to  produce  means  which  shall  slay  the 
greatest  number  of  men  with  the  most  mathe- 


EVILS  OF  WAR.  169 

matical  precision.  The  secrets  of  the  earth 
are  eagerly  explored  in  the  search  for  fatal 
agencies;  and  the  murder  of  mankind  upon  a 
gigantic  scale  is  made  a  science,  whose  study 
engages  the  attention  of  the  profoundest  intel¬ 
lects.  Institutions  whose  sole  object  is  the 
inculcating  and  perfecting  of  the  art  of  killing 
men  rapidly,  gracefully,  and  scientifically,  are 
supported  at  the  public  expense.  Every  mili¬ 
tary  and  naval  academy  might  adopt,  as  ex¬ 
pressing  the  whole  scope  of  its  instructions,  the 
title  of  one  of  De  Quincy’s  essays,  “Murder 
considered  as  one  of  the  Fine  Arts.7’  To  this 
diabolical  work  every  soldier  is  trained,  and 
for  this  he  is  supported.  This  is  the  one  great 
object  of  all  his  drills  and  reviews ;  and  for 
this  he  is  reduced  to  an  “  infernal  machine,77  and 
divested  of  almost  every  thing  human,  except¬ 
ing  his  vices,  his  power  of  motion,  and  his 
capacity  for  obeying  orders.  For  this  he  is 
armed  and  led  into  battle,  and  the  extent  to 
which  he  there  fulfils  this  murderous  destiny  so 
strongly  inculcated  upon  him,  is,  to  the  war¬ 
rior’s  view,  the  measure  of  his  manhood.  In 
expectation  of  this,  hospitals  are  erected,  and 
surgeons  provided,  and  estimates  calculated, 


170 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


like  the  following,  which  is  quoted  by  Neckar, 
the  French  financier,  from  a  state  paper : 

Forty  thousand  men  to  be  embarked  for  the  colo¬ 


nies,  .  40,000 

To  be  deducted  one-tliircl  for  the  first  year's  mor¬ 
tality,  . 13,333 

Remainder, .  26,667 


The  very  idea  of  war  unattended  by  great  loss 
of  life  is  an  anomaly.  The  two  are  as  insep¬ 
arably  connected  as  fire  and  burning,  or  poison 
and  death,  and  none  ever  think  of  separating 
them. 

As  this  is  an  evil  which  lies  upon  the  surface, 
and  is  often  the  subject  of  statistical  information, 
it  is  more  generally  recognized  than  any  other. 
Yet  how  few  reflect  upon  the  true  nature  of  this 
wholesale  slaughter,  or  upon  the  dignity  of  its 
victims.  Behold  a  dying  man .  For  years  he 
has  walked  the  earth,  one  of  the  noblest  of 
God’s  creatures.  His  exquisite  organization — 
his  intelligence — his  comparative  moral  eleva¬ 
tion — his  immortal  soul — all  attest  his  tower¬ 
ing  dignity  in  the  scale  of  being.  Now  he  lies 
prostrate  and  helpless  upon  his  couch.  The 
darkened  chamber — the  attenuated  form — the 
moans  and  gasps  for  breath — the  numberless 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


171 


acts  of  tearful  sympathy — proclaim  the  near¬ 
ness  of  death.  A  struggle,  and  all  is  over. 
We  bewail  the  mysterious  providence,  and 
think  what  a  terrible  curse  is  sin,  that  it  should 
so  rudely  mar  and  destroy  God’s  glorious  crea¬ 
tures.  Still  more  frightful  does  Death  appear 
when  the  grim  monster  comes  suddenly  and  un¬ 
announced,  and,  by  what  men  call  an  accident , 
seizes  his  trophy  from  the  walks  of  active  life, 
and  pales  the  cheek  which  but  a  moment  since 
bloomed  with  the  hue  of  abounding  health! 
Clothed  with  yet  darker  horrors  is  the  “  last 
enemy”  when  he  comes  in  the  guise  of  the 
assassin's  knife,  and  his  victim  is  the  prey  of 
cold-blooded  murder !  With  what  indignation 
we  try  to  ferret  out  the  perpetrator  of  the 
crime,  and  bring  him  to  justice  and  execution. 
And  how,  for  years  afterwards,  we  shudder  at 
the  bare  remembrance  of  the  deed ! 

Death,  under  all  these  circumstances,  comes 
not  with  a  tithe  of  the  terrors  which  attend 
him  upon  the  battle-field.  There  he  is  arrayed 
in  his  blackest  garb,  and  invested  with  his 
most  fearful  and  unalleviated  horrors.  He 
frowns  on  the  expiring  soldier  with  his  most 
dreadful  aspect.  Every  circumstance  there  con- 


172 


THE  RIQHT  WAY. 


spires  to  aggravate  the  terrors  of  the  dying 
hour,  and  accumulate  around  it  all  that  can 
enhance  its  sting,  while  there  is  nothing  to 
mitigate  its  utter  dreariness.  The  soldier  dies, 
not  at  home,  and  surrounded  by  sympathizing 
hearts,  but  amid  unpitying  strangers,  whose 
every  other  instinct  is  absorbed  in  that  of  self- 
preservation  ;  not  by  slow  disease,  upon  a  couch, 
with  fond  hands  ministering  to  him,  and  all 
the  appliances  of  medical  skill  about  him,  but 
butchered  with  bloody  wounds,  which  none  will 
bind  up,  and  lying  upon  the  hard  cold  ground  ; 
not,  in  most  cases,  summoned  from  the  dis¬ 
charge  of  duties  to  God  and  man,  and  with  the 
satisfaction  of  one  who  ends  a  well-spent  life 
in  the  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality,  but  more 
often  cut  down  in  the  commission  of  the  gross¬ 
est  crime  against  God  and  his  fellows,  his  arm 
brandishing  the  murderous  weapon,  which  is 
perhaps  already  stained  and  dripping  with  hu¬ 
man  gore ;  not  in  the  enjoyment  of  holy  influ¬ 
ences  and  means  of  grace,  the  man  of  God 
kneeling  at  his  bedside,  and  his  departing  spir¬ 
it  commending  itself  to  his  Maker,  but  amid 
horrid  blasphemies  and  imprecations ;  more 
than  all,  it  is  generally  with  no  nea,r  prospect 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


173 


of  heaven  to  rob  death  of  its  sting,  for  the 
Christian  hope  flies  affrighted  from  the  battle¬ 
field,  and  conducts  few — alas,  how  few ! — from 
the  crimes  of  war  to  the  bosom  of  the  Prince 
of  peace. 

Now,  bearing  in  mind  these  circumstances  of 
fearful  aggravation,  consider  the  vast  numbers 
who  perish  by  such  a  death.  It  is  impossible 
for  the  mind  to  embrace  in  a  single  view  a  dis¬ 
tinct  idea  of  death’s  ravages,  when  its  victims 
are  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands,  as  they 
have  been  in  almost  every  battle  of  note  whose 
details  are  recorded.  This  fact  will  perhaps 
account  for  the  extraordinary  indifference  with 
which  we  read  and  hear  of  the  losses  of  life  by 
war.  We  dare  not  venture  to  grasp  the  tre¬ 
mendous  thoughts  suggested  by  such  accounts, 
and  so  we  spare  ourselves  almost  all  reflection 
upon  the  subject.  This  is  wrong,  and  unwor¬ 
thy  of  rational,  humane  beings.  Let  us,  then, 
look  this  evil  in  the  face,  until  its  view  has 
inspired  us  with  those  emotions  which  are  be¬ 
coming  to  men,  and  to  the  partakers  of  this 
gift  of  life  which  is  so  worse  than  wasted. 

Let  us  group  together  a  few  truthful  statis¬ 
tics  upon  this  subject,  culled  from  the  pages  of 


174 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


history.  At  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  30,000 
fell;  at  Jena  and  Lutzen,  30,000  each ;  at  Ey- 
lau,  60,000  ;  at  Waterloo  and  Quatre  Bras, 
70,000;  at  Borodino,  80,000;  at  Fontenoy, 
100,000  ;  at  Chalons,  300,000  of  a  single  army. 
The  Carthagenians  attacked  Hymera,  Sicily, 
with  an  army  of  300,000  men,  and  a  fleet  of 
2,000  ships  and  3,000  transports.  “  Not  a  ship 
or  a  transport  escaped  destruction ;  and  of  the 
troops,  only  a  few  in  a  small  boat  reached  Car¬ 
thage  with  the  melancholy  tidings.77  Marius 
slew  in  one  battle  140,000  Gauls,  and  in  an¬ 
other,  290,000.  Tamerlane,  in  his  camp  before 
Delhi,  massacred  100,000  Indian  prisoners. 
“The  people  of  Ispahan  supplied  him  with 
70,000  human  skulls  for  the  structure  of  sev¬ 
eral  lofty  towers,  and  a  similar  tax  was  levied 
by  him  upon  Bagdad,  amounting  to  90,000 
heads.77  Ghengis  Khan  slew  90,000  persons  in 
cold  blood  on  the  plains  of  Nessa;  at  Herat, 
1,600,000  ;  and  at  Neisabar,  1,747,000.  During 
the  first  fourteen  years  of  his  reign,  he  is  sup¬ 
posed  by  Chinese  historians  to  have  destroyed 
eighteen  millions,  and  in  the  last  twenty-seven 
years,  an  average  of  more  than  half  a  million 
every  year.  This  inhuman  monster,  whose  wars 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


175 


were  those  of  extermination,  and  whose  armies 
sometimes  exceeded  a  million,  is  said  to  have 
once  “  seriously  proposed  to  exterminate  all  the 
inhabitants  of  China,  that  the  vacant  land 
might  be  converted  to  the  pasture  of  cattle.  The 
firmness  of  a  Chinese  mandarin  alone  diverted 
him  from  the  execution  of  this  horrible  design.” 
It  is  supposed  that  the  whole  number  of  souls 
that  followed  Xerxes  into  Greece  was  5,283,320. 
Of  these  only  3,000  escaped  destruction.  Pass¬ 
ing  now  to  more  modern  times,  it  has  been  es¬ 
timated  that  more  than  a  million  of  lives  were 
sacrificed  in  Napoleon’s  Russian  campaign, 
which  lasted  only  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  days,  making  an  average  of  six  thousand 
a  day.  Germany  alone  is  said  to  have  lost,  in 
the  Thirty  Years’  War,  12,000,000  of  inhabit¬ 
ants.  Not  less  than  six  millions  perished  by 
the  wars  of  Napoleon  in  the  heart  of  Christian 
Europe  during  the  early  part  of  this  nineteenth 
century. 

Terrible  beyond  conception  have  been  the 
sufferings  and  deaths  in  besieged  cities.  In 
the  siege  of  Paris,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
30,000  persons  died  of  hunger  alone.  In  the 
siege  of  Mexico,  by  the  Spanish,  more  than 


176 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


100,000  were  slain  in  battle,  and  upwards  of 
50,000  more  died  from  the  infection  of  putrefy¬ 
ing  carcasses.  The  siege  of  Vienna  destroyed 
70,000;  that  of  Ostend,  120,000  ;  that  of  Acre, 
300,000;  that  of  Jerusalem,  1,100,000;  and 
that  of  Troy,  1,816,000. 

In  our  own  day,  the  siege  of  Silistria,  1854, 
is  said  to  have  killed  30,000  Russians.  The 
siege  of  Sebastopol,  1855,  was  attended  with  a 
fearful  waste  of  life.  During  the  last  three 
weeks  of  that  siege,  the  loss  of  the  Russian 
garrison  alone  amounted  to  about  32,000,  ex¬ 
clusive  of  those  who  perished  by  disease  ;  and 
in  the  final  assault,  the  south  side  of  the  city 
was  taken  at  a  loss,  upon  both  sides,  of  at  least 
30,000.  The  total  loss  of  life  in  the  Crimea, 
from  the  landing  of  the  Allies  at  Eupatoria  to 
the  fall  of  Sebastopol — a  period  of  about  one 
year — is  estimated  at  450,000. 

In  connection  with  these  statements,  must  be 
borne  in  mind  war’s  indirect  havoc.  In  the  Pen¬ 
insular  war  in  Spain,  only  40,000  soldiers  were 
killed  or  died  of  wounds  received  in  battle ; 
while  120,000  died  of  disease,  and  120,000  more 
were  by  disease  unfitted  for  service.  During 
the  first  five  years  that  the  French  were  in 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


177 


Algiers,  their  annual  loss  averaged  about  5,000 
by  shot,  and  15,000  by  disease.  In  the  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  there 
were,  to  every  American  killed  in  battle,  more 
than  live  who  died  from  diseases  incident  to 
the  climate  and  the  camp.  The  ravages  of 
disease  among  the  allied  armies  in  the  Crimea, 
in  1854,  were  truly  frightful.  Says  a  letter 
writer :  “  Oct.  30.  Cholera  is  committing  its 
fatal  ravages.  Not  a  day  passes  without  three 
or  four  of  the  officers,  and  about  two  hundred 
of  the  men  being  carried  off  by  this  terrible 
disease.  Two  days  ago,  not  less  than  16,000 
men  were  on  the  sick-list,  out  of  an  army  of 
now  nearly  30,000.  Dec.  3.  The  Turkish  gar¬ 
rison  at  this  place — Balaklava — are  dying  off 
at  the  rate  of  some  one  hundred  and  fiftv  a 
day.  It  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to  see  the 
corpses  of  these  unfortunate  beings,  who  have 
been  stricken  down  by  cholera  on  their  way  to 

the  hospital,  lying  along  the  road-side . 

The  sick  appear  to  be  tended  by  the  sick,  and 
the  dying  by  the  dying.”  It  was  stated  that 
the  number  of  Russian  invalids  throughout  the 
Crimea  in  June,  1855,  amounted  to  100,000. 
The  typhus-fever,  which  broke  out  at  Sebasto- 

Ri-ht  Way.  1 2 


178 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


pol  in  the  spring  of  that  year,  carried  off  very 
many. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  numbers  who 
have  fallen  in  battle,  and  those  who  have  per¬ 
ished  by  the  more  remote  ravages  of  war,  we 
shall  be  prepared  to  assent  to  the  estimate  of 
Dr.  Dick,  that  more  than  fourteen  thousand 
millions  of  human  beings,  or  one  tenth  of  the 
human  race,  have  been  thus  slaughtered  since 
the  beginning  of  the  world.  Edmund  Burke, 
as  has  been  already  said,  places  the  number 
still  higher,  making  it  thirty-five  thousand  mill¬ 
ions  ;  and  others  have  even  reckoned  it  at  twice 
that  sum,  or  seventy  thousand  millions.  Of 
course  the  amount  defies  all  efforts  at  accurate 
computation  ;  but  taking  the  estimate  of  Burke 
as  near  the  truth,  we  find  that  the  loss  by  war 
has  been  thirty-five  times  the  entire  present  popu¬ 
lation  of  the  globe!  Suppose  it  were  known  that 
thirty- five  worlds  such  as  ours  had  been  sud¬ 
denly  destroyed,  with  all  their  inhabitants, 
what  a  wail  of  agony  would  rend  the  universe, 
and  how  all  living  creatures  would  be  bowed 
down  with  grief!  How,  then,  should  the  view 
of  an  equal  number  of  beings  mutually  slaugh¬ 
tered  upon  this  earth  affect  us?  And  all  these 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


179 


victims  were  human,  formed  to  love  God  and 
their  fellows,  and  possessed  of  immortal  souls. 
And  they  have  been  mowed  down,  not  by  fiends 
and  demons,  but  by  men .  For  nearly  every 
death  we  must  behold  a  human  hand  imbrued 
in  blood,  and  a  human  heart  defiled  with  mur¬ 
der.  “  Shall  the  sword  devour  for  ever  ?” 

YI.  The  most  appalling  of  all  the  evils  of 
war  is  its  destruction  of  souls. 

As  the  soubs  life  is  of  inconceivably  greater 
value  than  that  of  the  body,  and  as  the  suffer¬ 
ings  of  eternity  immeasurably  surpass  those  of 
time,  we  must  look  for  the  chief  havoc  of  war 
in  its  eternal  effects  upon  men’s  higher  and 
spiritual  nature.  To  the  view  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian,  its  greatest  outrages  are  those  which  here 
lie  hid  from  public  observation,  and  which  only 
future  and  everlasting  ages  can  disclose.  They 
are  too  terrible  for  protracted  contemplation, 
and  we  shall  but  briefly  hint  at  them.  Indeed, 
it  is  from  the  nature  of  the  case  impossible  to 
give  more  than  their  dim  outline.  The  sad 
experience  of  the  soul’s  ever-living,  never-end¬ 
ing  death  can  alone  fill  up  the  picture. 

Without  pausing  to  notice  the  barriers  which 
war  opposes  to  the  conversion  of  the  multitudes 


180 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


in  warring  countries — and  they  are  mighty — 
let  us  confine  our  view  to  its  destruction  of 
souls  among  the  actual  combatants.  It  tends, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  to  the  demoralization 
of  all  those  who  engage  in  it.  While  it  does 
not  inculcate  or  call  into  exercise  a  single  vir¬ 
tue,  it  teaches  and  inculcates  almost  every  vice  ; 
and  in  the  proportion  in  which  it  influences 
men,  generally  hardens  their  hearts,  and  ren¬ 
ders  their  salvation  more  and  more  improbable. 
As  commonly  engaged  in,  it  is  the  service  of 
Belial,  and  “  no  man  can  serve  two  masters.*’ 
What  two  things  can  be  more  incompatible 
than  religion  and  murder  ?  What ;  loving  and 
obeying  God,  yet  openly  and  habitually  violat¬ 
ing  his  plain  command,  “  Thou  shalt  not  kill  ?’’ 
Loving  one’s  neighbor  as  himself,  yet  butcher¬ 
ing  him  in  cold  blood !  A  disciple  of  the  meek 
and  lowly  Jesus,  yet  burning  with  fury  and  re¬ 
sentment!  The  thought  is  absurd  and  incon¬ 
sistent  to  the  last  degree.  That  religion  may 
exist  in  the  soldier’s  camp,  we  by  no  means  deny. 
But  even  if  some  earnestly  pious  souls,  through 
either  a  real  or  mistaken  patriotism,  or  by  the 
force  of  circumstances,  engage  in  war,  to  what 
temptations  they  must  become  exposed.  Truly 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


181 


that  is  a  strong,  real  piety  which  can  survive 
the  scoffs  and  ribaldry  which  assail  it  among 
men  who  hold  every  Christian  virtue  in  con¬ 
tempt,  defy  their  Maker,  and  glory  in  the  ri¬ 
valry  of  irreligion. 

Admitting,  however,  that  there  have  been 
many  who  have  carried  even  a  saving  religion 
into  the  camp  and  battle-field,  and  casting  over 
their  inconsistencies  the  mantle  of  charity,  we 
must  still  ask,  whither  go  the  unnumbered  multi¬ 
tudes  of  war’s  votaries?  Ah,  let  the  voice  of 
God  reply  :  “No  murderer  hath  eternal  life  abid¬ 
ing  in  him  .”  The  alternative  is  eternal  death. 
Dismal  are  the  sufferings  of  the  battle-field, 
with  its  restless  agonies  and  vain  cravings  of 
hunger  and  thirst,  but  they  are  not  to  be  com¬ 
pared  with  the  gnawings  of  the  undying  worm, 
and  that  spirit’s  thirst  which  no  drop  of  water 
shall  ever  quench.  Dreadful  is  war’s  havoc  of 
bodily  life,  but  it  becomes  insignificant  by  the 
side  of  its  destruction  of  those  many  souls  whom 
it  plunges  into  irremediable  wretchedness. 

This  most  fearful  of  all  war’s  ravages  is  un¬ 
appreciated  by  the  world,  but  Christians  know 
something  of  the  worth  of  the  soul,  and  of  the 
tremendous  interests  that  are  involved  in  its 


182 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


salvation  or  damnation.  Christians  know  that 
all  the  united  kingdoms  and  thrones,  and  wealth 
and  glory,  for  which  so  many  have  been  sacri¬ 
ficed,  are,  when  weighed  against  one  human 
soul,  but  as  the  dust  of  the  balance.  For  long 
after  the  fashion  of  this  world  has  passed  away, 
and  this  blood-stained  earth  has  been  burned 
up,  and  the  causes  and  temporal  results  of  war 
have  been  forgotten  like  a  dream,  the  souls 
whom  it  has  ruined  shall  weep  and  wail  for 
ever .  0  Christian,  shall  this  curse  continue  to 

scathe  the  moral  world,  to  pollute  and  destroy 
unnumbered  deathless  spirits,  and  in  depopu¬ 
lating  earth  to  people  hell?  “  Shall  the  sword 
devour  for  ever  ?” 

VII.  We  shall  conclude  our  view  of  the  evils 
of  war  with  noticing  its  obstacles  to  the 

SPREAD  OF  THE  GOSPEL  AND  THE  TRIUMPH  OF 

Christianity. 

The  church  of  Christ  is  becoming  every  year 
more  alive  to  her  proper  work  of  evangelizing 
the  world,  and  is  beginning  to  appreciate  her 
high  privilege  as  honored  with  an  embassy  of 
peace  to  all  men.  Beautiful  is  the  contrast  she 
presents  to  those  whose  destructive  ravages  we 
have  just  contemplated.  Her  war  is  not  against 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


183 


man,  but  for  man  and  against  his  common  ene¬ 
my.  “We  wrestle  not  with  flesh  and  blood.” 
The  “sacramental  host  of  God’s  elect”  battles 
with  error,  idolatry,  strife,  and  crime.  It 
achieves  bloodless  conquests,  and  its  weapon, 
“  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,”  “  mighty  through 
God,”  is  already  wresting  large  provinces  from 
Satan’s  empire,  and  annexing  them  to  the  do¬ 
minions  of  the  Prince  of  peace.  But  the  church 
has  something  more  to  do  than  the  sending  out 
of  Bibles  and  missionaries,  before  her  whole 
work  can  be  accomplished.  There  are  obsta¬ 
cles  to  be  overcome,  stumbling-blocks  to  be  re¬ 
moved,  objections  and  cavillings  to  be  silenced, 
and  glaring  inconsistencies  to  be  done  away. 
If  the  Redeemer  is  to  come  upon  earth  in  the 
power  and  glory  of  his  spiritual  kingdom,  the 
voice  must  be  heard  and  heeded  throughout  all 
Christendom,  “  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord , 
make  his  paths  straight .” 

An  indispensable  step  towards  securing  the 
triumph  of  the  gospel,  is  the  abolition  of  war. 
This  practice,  together  with  its  other  evil  ef¬ 
fects,  fetters  religious  effort,  and  impedes  the 
progress  of  Christianity.  Besides  its  disas¬ 
trous  influences  upon  the  public  morality  in 


184 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  so  called  Christian  nations,  it  opposes  a 
formidable  barrier  to  the  reception  of  the 
Bible  in  heathen  lands.  Its  effect  upon  the 
mind  of  a  reasoning  idolater  may  readily  be 
imagined.  He  says  to  himself,  “  This  gospel 
is  good  ;  its  precepts  are  wise  and  beautiful ; 
and  had  it  reached  me  from  any  other  source, 
I  should  gladly  receive  and  obey  it.  But  it 
comes  to  me  from  a  Christian  nation  which, 
while  professing  to  conform  to  it,  yet  engages 
in  a  practice  which  it  forbids,  and  that,  too,  in 
a  manner  which  seems  barbarous  even  to  me, 
whom  they  call  a  barbarian.  Now  either  Chris¬ 
tianity  is  not  true,  or  these  nations  are  not 
Christian.  Let  them  drop  their  name,  or  their 
cruel  contentions,  and  I  will  listen  to  them.” 

Thus  reasoned  the  natives  of  India,  who 
had  witnessed  the  bloody  conquests,  and  then 
the  mutual  slaughter  of  the  English,  French, 
Dutch,  and  Portuguese  upon  their  soil.  “  If 
this  be  Christianity,”  said  they,  “  we  want  no 
such  bloody  religion.”  The  famous  wall  of 
China  opposed  no  such  barrier  to  the  reception 
of  the  gospel  into  that  empire,  as  was  raised  by 
the  conduct  of  nominal  Christians.  When  the 
missionaries  first  applied  for  admission  there, 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


185 


the  emperor  sternly  refused,  “for,”  said  he, 
“  wherever  Christians  go,  they  whiten  the  soil  with 
human  bones.”  A  Turk  at  Jerusalem  once  asked 
a  missionary,  “Why  do  you  come  here?”  He 
replied,  “  To  bring  you  peace.”  “  Peace  /”  re¬ 
joined  the  Turk,  with  a  contemptuous  sneer. 
Leading  the  missionary  to  a  window,  he  pointed 
to  Calvary.  “  There,”  said  he,  “  upon,  the  very 
spot  where  your  Lord  poured  out  his  blood,  the 
Mohammedan  is  obliged  to  interfere  to  prevent 
Christians  from  shedding  the  blood  of  one  an¬ 
other.”  Our  missionaries  have  been  of  late 
years  successfully  teaching  gospel  truths  in 
Turkey.  The  poor  Mohammedans  listened 
eagerly  to  the  simple  and  sublime  precepts, 
and  they  were  winning  with  gentle  force  upon 
their  hearts,  when  suddenly  they  were  sum¬ 
moned  forth  to  defend  their  country  against 
the  savage  onsets  of  a  nominally  Christian  na¬ 
tion,  while  they  beheld  the  allied  armies  of  two 
other  Christian  nations  awaiting  the  given  sig¬ 
nal  to  deluge  Europe  with  Christian  blood. 
Well  might  they  have  asked,  “Is  this  the  gos¬ 
pel  of  love?  Are  these  the  servants  of  the 
Prince  of  peace?  We  will  follow  Mohammed, 
and  thus,  if  wrong  in  some  things,  at  least  be 


186 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


consistent.’7  May  not  such  reflections  as  these 
naturally  arise,  and  shed  a  ray  of  delusive  light 
upon  the  mind  of  the  serious  inquirer  after 
truth,  betraying  him  to  ruin?  His  argument 
is  not  indeed  a  just  one  ;  but  there  are  few 
pagan  minds  so  discriminating  as  to  distin¬ 
guish,  at  first  view,  between  real  and  nominal 
Christianity,  or  to  receive  God’s  word  solely 
upon  its  own  merits,  and  independently  of  the 
example  of  Bible-reading  nations. 

In  many  portions  of  the  globe,  the  cause  of 
Christ  has  been  in  this  manner  greatly  preju¬ 
diced.  The  wars  of  the  British  in  China  and 
Afghanistan,  those  of  the  French  in  Africa, 
and  those  of  the  United  States  on  the  Indian 
frontiers — all  conducted  upon  the  very  soil 
where  Christians  were  planting  the  gospel  ban¬ 
ner — must  have  left  impressions  highly  unfa¬ 
vorable  to  Christianity,  and  which  it  may  re¬ 
quire  long  years  of  peace  to  efface. 

"VVe  have  presented  but  a  single  aspect  of 
this  alarming  evil,  yet  perhaps  the  most  strik¬ 
ing  one.  Others  will  readily  suggest  themselves 
to  the  reflecting  mind.  It  will  be  considered 
that  war  deals  a  powerful  blow  at  those  agen¬ 
cies  by  which  the  work  of  missions  is  carried 


EVILS  OF  WAR. 


187 


on  ;  that  it  absorbs  resources  which  might  oth¬ 
erwise  have  been  devoted  to  this  grand  enter¬ 
prise  ;  that  it  diverts  from  it,  or  destroys  men 
who  might  otherwise  engage  in  it;  and  that 
even  the  small  measure  of  success  which  is  per¬ 
mitted  to  us  will  be,  at  best,  the  spreading 
abroad  of  a  defective  Christianity. 

Is  it  objected  that  we  are  viewing  the  church 
as  responsible  for  the  crimes  of  the  ungodly? 
To  some  extent,  she  is  so  ;  for  who  can  believe 
that  Christians  could  not,  long  before  this,  have 
lifted  up  such  an  earnest  and  powerful  voice 
against  war,  as  would  have  driven  it  from  their 
own  countries,  and  rendered  peace  the  invari¬ 
able  fruit  and  attendant  of  civilization?  It 
would  require  but  a  few  efforts  of  the  united 
evangelical  world  to  sheathe  everv  sword  of 
Christendom  in  its  scabbard,  and  confine  this 
“trade  of  barbarians” — as  even  Napoleon 
termed  it — to  those  “  dark  places  of  the  earth” 
and  “habitations  of  cruelty,”  where  alone  it 
appropriately  belongs.  •  And  is  not  the  church 
accountable  to  God  for  so  long  withholding 
those  efforts? 

Then  let  all  who  pray,  “  Thy  kingdom  come,”’ 
unite  for  removing  this  obstacle  from  “  the  way 


188 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


of  the  Lord.”  Let  the  church  arise,  and  shake 
off  this  monstrous  enemy  who  has  long  enough 
pinioned  her  to  the  dust,  and  sown  the  tares  of 
discord  and  violence  in  the  field  of  the  world. 
And  let  the  church  enlist  upon  her  side  that 
powerful  ally  provided  in  the  gospel,  which, 
though  so  long  stifled  and  neglected,  is  now 
beginning  to  assert  its  might,  and  let  the  cause 
of  missions  and  of  peace  go  hand  in  hand,  for 
they  are  one.  Let  Christianity  be  commended 
to  human  hearts  by  a  practical  demonstration 
of  its  divine  principles.  Then  it  will  carry 
conviction  to  many  minds,  and  the  nations  will 
the  more  cordially  embrace  the  religion  of  love . 


PLEAS  FOE  WAR. 


189 


CHAPTER  X. 

PLEAS  FOE  WAR  CONSIDEEED. 

It  would  seem  as  if  it  were  hardly  necessary 
to  present  any  other  argument  against  war 
than  is  afforded  by  the  view  of  its  evils.  This 
is  one  of  those  subjects  upon  which  the  mere 
feelings  and  natural  emotions  of  the  humane 
mind  form  argument  enough.  To  one  wdio 
honestly  contemplates  this  dire  curse,  slow  pro¬ 
cesses  of  reasoning  seem  uncalled  for.  It  ap¬ 
pears  much  as  if  men  were  to  argue  earnestly 
before  a  civilized  community  to  show  that  can¬ 
nibalism,  or  the  Hindoo  suttee,  is  both  cruel 
and  wicked.  We  believe  the  time  will  come 
when  we  shall  no  more  require  argument  upon 
the  one  subject  than  upon  the  others.  But 
there  are  now  those  who  defend  war  as  just 
and  necessary.  Many  of  them  arc  intelligent, 
their  number  is  by  no  means  small,  and  their 
opinions  are  entitled  to  a  respectful  considera¬ 
tion.  We  shall  therefore  notice  a  few  of  the 
more  prominent  pleas  for  war,  and  then  apply 


/ 


190 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


to  the  system  the  test  of  both  reason  and  reve¬ 
lation. 

I.  It  is  affirmed  that  war  is  necessary  as  a 
means  of  redress  for  national  grievances. 
How  else,  it  is  asked,  shall  we  find  relief  from 
wrong  and  oppressive  conduct,  or  bring  a  foe 
who  has  injured  us  to  a  reparation  of  his  fault? 
These  questions  we  hope  to  answer  in  a  subse¬ 
quent  chapter,  where  we  shall  exhibit  what  we 
conceive  to  be  the  Right  Way  of  redressing 
grievances.  It  will  be  sufficient  for  our  pres¬ 
ent  purpose  to  show  that,  as  a  general  thing, 
war  does  not  accomplish  this  desired  end. 

Suppose  that  one  nation  has  grossly  insulted 
or  trampled  upon  the  rights  of  another.  The 
aggrieved  government  feels  that  its  honor  or 
prosperity  is  at  stake,  and  that  some  means 
must  be  employed  to  vindicate  the  one,  or  de¬ 
fend  the  other.  Custom  places  before  it  but 
one  alternative — it  must  either  suffer  the  wronsr, 
or  else,  by  force  of  arms,  compel  its  reparation. 
If  it  is  weak  in  proportion  to  its  foe,  and  there 
is  a  moral  certainty  of  its  defeat,  it  of  necessity 
opposes  no  resistance — and  where  then  is  its 
redress  ?  If,  however,  it  is  of  such  comparative 
strength  in  fleets  and  armies  as  to  seem  able  to 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


191 


cope  in  battle  with  its  adversary,  it  appeals  to 
arms,  issues  the  declaration  of  war,  arouses  the 
popular  indignation  and  thirst  for  vengeance, 
summons  its  citizens  to  leave  their  peaceful 
homes  and  arm  for  the  conflict,  and  invades 
the  enemy’s  country.  Battle  after  battle  is 
fought,  brilliant  victories  are  achieved,  and 
blood  is  poured  out  like  water.  At  length, 
both  parties  becoming  wearied  of  the  struggle, 
they  begin  to  discuss  the  terms  of  peace.  A 
treaty  -is  formed,  amicable  relations  restored, 
armies  recalled  and  disbanded,  and  every  thing 
settles  down  to  its  accustomed  quiet. 

Now  what  has  been  gained?  Redress?  If 
it  so  chanced  that  the  offended  party  was  at 
the  same  time  the  more  powerful  one,  and  pos¬ 
sessed  the  most  skilful  generals,  it  has  probably 
compelled  those  injuring  it  to  make  some  kind 
of  reparation.  Yet  even  supposing  such  to  have 
been  the  case,  and  that  it  has  even  acquired  in 
territory  and  power  far  more  than  it  demanded 
at  the  outset,  we  still  ask,  what  has  been  gained  ? 
A  favorable  decision  of  a  vexed  question,  which 
turned  perhaps  upon  a  mere  technicality,  or  a 
few  square  miles  of  territory,  and  the  public  ap¬ 
plause — and  to  gain  these  it  has  sacrificed  mill- 


192 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ions  of  money,  subjected  itself  to  repeated  indig¬ 
nities  and  losses,  and  shed  the  blood  of  thousands 
of  its  subjects.  What  has  been  gained?  Bur¬ 
dens  of  debt,  and  yet  heavier  burdens  of  iniqui¬ 
ty,  broken  hearts,  desolated  homes,  widows  and 
orphans,  poverty,  crime,  and  death.  Who  shall 
redress  all  these?  Who  shall  repair  the  evils 
inflicted  by  the  government  upon  its  own  sub¬ 
jects?  By  what  means  shall  the  guiltless  in¬ 
habitants  of  either  country  be  compensated  for 
their  losses  ?  Surely,  if  war  be  the  proper  mode 
of  national  redress,  it  is  the  same  for  individu¬ 
als  ;  and  who  could  complain  if  the  outraged 
communities  should  give  battle  to  their  own 
governments,  which  had  proved  a  greater  ene¬ 
my  to  them  than  any  foreign  power,  and  insist 
upon  butchering  their  rulers,  in  order  to  repair 
the  wrongs  committed  against  themselves?  We 
believe  it  may  be  confidently  asserted  that  there 
has  never  been  a  war — excepting  perhaps  those 
that  were  strictly  defensive — whose  gain  has 
equalled  its  losses,  or  in  which  the  amount  of 
justice  and  happiness  secured,  or  wrong  recti¬ 
fied,  has  equalled  the  degree  of  guilt  and  misery 
incurred.  So  that  even  supposing  the  particu¬ 
lar  end  in  view  to  have  been  attained,  it  is 


PLEAS  FOE  WAR. 


193 


more  than  outweighed  by  its  cost  of  life,  hap¬ 
piness,  and  prosperity.  It  is  as  if  two  neigh¬ 
bors,  who  had  quarrelled,  should  array  their 
respective  families  against  each  other  in  dead¬ 
ly  conflict.  What  kind  of  redress  has  the 
injured  one  obtained  when,  for  a  few  dollars, 
or  a  trifling  piece  of  ground,  he  has  sacrificed 
his  beloved  children,  and  clouded  for  life  both 
his  home  and  his  heart  ? 

Well  said  Cicero,  “The  worst  peace  is  pref¬ 
erable  to  the  best  war and  Franklin,  whose 
economical  maxims  are  so  much  practised  by 
individuals,  gave  one  well  worthy  of  a  nation’s 
study  when  he  said,  “Whatever  advantage  one 
nation  would  obtain  from  another,  it  would  be 
cheaper  to  purchase  such  advantage  with  ready 
money,  than  to  pay  the  expenses  of  acquiring  it 
by  war.” 

It  is  not  true,  however,  that  in  general  re¬ 
dress  is  thus  obtained,  or  justice  secured.  The 
“chances  of  war”  have  passed  into  a  proverb. 
There  is  no  more  likelihood  of  its  resulting  in 
favor  of  the  right  than  the  drawing  of  lots 
would  be,  nor  indeed  as  much.  For  it  is  usu¬ 
ally  the  case  that  a  nation  is  careful  to  injure 
only  those  who  are  weaker  than  itself,  and 

Right  Way  1 3 


194 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


who,  if  they  resist  at  all,  seem  likely  to  become 
its  easy  prey.  In  almost  every  instance  of  na¬ 
tional  oppression,  the  victims  are  less  powerful 
than  the  aggressors,  and  their  injuries  would 
be  rather  increased  than  lessened  by  war.  And 
even  if  the  two  powers  appear  to  be  equally 
balanced,  an  appeal  to  arms  is  as  likely  to  re¬ 
sult  in  favor  of  the  one  as  the  other,  there  being 
ten  thousand  little,  unforeseen  circumstances 
which  may  turn  the  tide  of  victory.  There  is 
no  necessary  connection  between  justice  and 
military  success.  God  has  not  ordained  that 
the  right  shall  always  be  proved  and  vindicated 
by  battle.  Many  seem  to  view  it  as  of  a  nature 
with  the  Urim  and  Thummim  of  the  Jewish 
high-priest,  or  as  the  ancient  mode  of  judicial 
combat  was  regarded — something  presided  over 
by  the  divine  Providence  for  the  purpose  of  in¬ 
fallibly  pointing  out  the  right.  With  far  more 
show  of  reasonableness  the  nations  might  decide 
their  disputes  by  a  throw  of  the  dice,  solemnly 
appealing  to  God  to  indicate  the  right.  How 
precarious  is  the  chance  of  redress  in  a  practice 
which  is  so  proverbially  the  creature  of  “for¬ 
tune”  and  accident,  as  even  Napoleon  acknow¬ 
ledged  war  to  be. 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


195 


Experience  has  not  only  proved  all  this,  but 
also  that  war,  when  it  does  not  greatly  compli¬ 
cate  the  difficulties,  and  render  their  adjust¬ 
ment  yet  more  arduous,  generally  leaves  the  point 
at  issue  where  it  found  it ,  and  that  the  contend¬ 
ing  nations  are  compelled  finally  to  negotiate 
upon  the  subject  just  as  they  would  if  there  had 
been  no  war.  Thus  in  the  last  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  this  country 
expended  its  three  hundred  millions  of  dollars, 
lost  thousands  of  citizens,  and  inflicted  a  blow 
upon  her  own  civil  and  commercial  interests, 
from  which  it  took  her  long  to  recover ;  and 
what  was  the  result?  After  two  years  and  a 
half  of  hostilities,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  con¬ 
cluded,  which  left  the  controverted  point — the 
British  impressment  of  American  seamen — pre¬ 
cisely  where  the  war  first  found  it.  It  is  needless 
to  multiply  instances.  The  fact  is  well  known 
that  war,  unless  gaining  its  end  by  brute  force — 
which  has  no  connection  whatever  with  right 
and  justice — generally  leaves  the  alleged  griev¬ 
ance  in  its  original  position  ;  and  that  redress, 
if  obtained  at  all,  is  then  gained  by  means  of 
negotiation  or  arbitration,  which  could  just  as 
well  have  been  resorted  to  in  the  first  instance. 


196 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


II.  Another  plea  for  war  is,  that  A  pacific 
POLICY  WOULD  EXPOSE  THE  NATION  TO  YET 
GREATER  INJURIES. 

This  difficulty,  we  conceive,  exists  only  in  im¬ 
agination.  Most  certainly  it  cannot  be  proved 
true  from  the  history  of  any  nation,  while  much 
of  individual  experience  proves  quite  the  con¬ 
trary.  As  has  been  shown  in  the  former  part 
of  this  work,  and  as  must  be  evident  to  the  ob¬ 
serving  mind,  a  forbearing  spirit  and  conduct 
is  generally  attended  with  far  greater  safety 
than  its  opposite.  This  is  as  true  of  large  bod¬ 
ies  of  men  as  it  is  of  individuals.  The  resent¬ 
ful  nation,  like  the  resentful  man,  is  always 
embroiling  itself  in  new  strifes,  and  literally 
inviting  injuries ;  while  the  one  which  habitu¬ 
ally  forgives,  and  returns  good  for  evil,  could 
such  a  one  be  found,  would  be  seen  to  be  favored 
of  God  and  man,  and  to  possess,  in  its  very  for¬ 
bearance,  a  more  powerful  means  of  defence 
than  could  be  afforded  by  all  the  forts  and 
armies  and  navies  of  the  world.  As  has  been 
said  of  individuals,  so  we  may  assert  of  nations, 
that  none  should  employ  this  argument  until 
they  have  at  least  attempted  the  experiment  of 
an  entirely  pacific  policy.  It  is  a  reproach  to 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


197 


Christendom  that  in  the  lapse  of  eighteen  cen¬ 
turies  so  few  trials  of  it  have  been  made. 

Happily,  however,  history  is  not  without  in¬ 
stances  of  the  security  of  the  right  way,  when 
practised  upon  this  large  scale.  A  more  con¬ 
vincing  demonstration  of  it  could  hardly  be 
desired  than  is  afforded  by  the  early  and  well 
known  history  of  Pennsylvania.  To  the  aston¬ 
ishment  of  many  in  England,  William  Penn, 
with  a  small  colony  of  Friends,  planted  himself 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  warlike  tribes  in  Amer¬ 
ica,  with  no  other  weapons  than  the  principles 
of  the  gospel  of  peace.  All  predicted  their 
speedy  destruction.  “  What,”  said  Charles  II. 
to  him,  “venture  yourself  among  the  savages 
of  North  America!  Why,  man,  what  security 
have  you  that  you  will  not  be  in  their  war- 
kettle  within  two  hours  after  setting  your  foot 
on  their  shores?”  “The  best  security  in  the 
world,”  replied  the  undaunted  hero.  “  I  doubt 
that,  friend  William,”  replied  the  king;  “I 
have  no  idea  of  any  security  against  these 
cannibals  but  a  regiment  of  good  soldiers, 
with  their  muskets  and  bayonets ;  and  I  tell 
you  beforehand,  that  with  all  my  good-will  for 
you  and  your  family,  to  whom  I  am  under 


198 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


obligations,  I  will  not  send  a  single  soldier 
with  you.”  “  I  want  none  of  the  soldiers ;  I 
depend  on  something  better.”  “  Better  ?  on 
what?”  “  On  the  Indians  themselves,  on  their 
moral  seiise,  and  on  the  promised  protection  of 
God.”  His  prayer  was,  “Let  the  Lord  guide 
me  by  his  wisdom,  to  honor  his  name  and  serve 
his  truth  and  people,  that  an  example  and  a  stand¬ 
ard  may  be  set  up  to  the  nations .”  “  There  may  be 
room  there”  said  he,  “  though  not  here,  for  the 
holy  experiment.”  Now  mark  the  result  of  that 
experiment.  In  the  words  of  the  Edinburgh 
Review,  speaking  of  Penn’s  treaty  with  the 
Indians,  “  Such  indeed  was  the  spirit  in  which 
the  negotiation  was  entered  into,  and  the  cor¬ 
responding  settlement  conducted,  that  for  the 
space  of  more  than  seventy  years,  so  long  in¬ 
deed  as  the  Quakers  retained  the  chief  power 
in  the  government,  the  peace  and  amity  which 
had  been  thus  solemnly  promised  and  conclud¬ 
ed,  never  was  violated  ;  and  a  large,  though  sol¬ 
itary  example  was  afforded  of  the  facility  with 
which  they  who  are  really  sincere  and  friendly 
in  their  views,  may  live  in  harmony  with  those 
who  are  peculiarly  fierce  and  faithless.” 

This  is  the  only  instance,  so  far  as  we  are 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


199 


aware,  in  which  a  government — for  although  a 
colony  of  Great  Britain,  it  was  to  the  Indians 
as  an  independent  state — has  publicly  recog¬ 
nized  and  practised  the  duty  of  a  literal  obe¬ 
dience  to  the  gospel  precepts.  The  complete 
success  which  crowned  that  obedience  is  a  tri¬ 
umphant  vindication  of  its  efficacy.  In  the 
midst  of  six  warring  nations,  who  had  the  most 
bitter  hostility  to  the  whites,  and  whose  preju¬ 
dices  against  them  had  been  strengthened  by 
all  their  previous  intercourse,  separated  by  the 
broad  Atlantic  from  their  mother  country,  with¬ 
out  arms,  and  with  no  show  of  defence  what¬ 
ever,  they  remained  uninjured  as  long  as  they 
adhered  to  their  pacific  policy.  The  ferocious 
savage,  who  was  the  incessant  terror  of  the 
other  colonies,  became  the  friend  and  pow¬ 
erful  ally  of  this  one.  The  tomahawk  and 
scalping-knife,  so  often  imbrued  in  the  blood 
of  armed  settlers,  were  sacredly  withheld  from 
the  defenceless  Quakers  ;  and  when,  in  a  few 
instances,  some  of  them  were  killed,  the  sav¬ 
ages  humbly  apologized  with  the  words,  “  The 
men  carried  arms ,  and  we  supposed  them  to  be 
fighters/' 

This  only  known  instance,  then,  of  a  rigid 


200 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


adherence  to  the  right  way,  so  far  from  expos¬ 
ing  the  community  to  injury,  proved  its  best 
safeguard,  and  secured  for  it  both  outward  re¬ 
spect  and  forbearance,  and  a  high  degree  of 
internal  prosperity.  All  honor  to  those  who 
were  the  first  to  put  in  practice  upon  a  large 
scale  these  gospel  precepts,  and  who,  in  the 
heart  of  a  savage  wilderness,  dared  to  work 
out  for  the  world’s  study  and  imitation  so  glo¬ 
rious  an  example  of  obeying  God.  Would  that 
to  America  it  might  be  given  again  and  yet 
more  signally  to  illustrate  the  same  sublime 
principles,  and  become  to  the  nations  of  the 
earth  a  model  not  only  of  civil  freedom,  but 
also  of  that  moral  independence  which  will  not 
brook  the  tyranny  of  war.  She  would  be  as 
successful  and  influential  in  the  one  as  she  is 
in  the  other ;  and  the  Providence  that  has  so 
prospered  her  while  erring,  would  not  leave 
her  a  prey  to  her  enemies  while  acting  the 
part  of  a  Christian  people. 

Besides,  it  may  be  confidently  affirmed  that 
the  path  of  duty  is  always,  more  than  any 
other,  the  path  of  security,  and  that  they  who 
the  most  conform  to  the  divine  will  are  the 
best  entitled  to  look  for  the  divine  blessing 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


201 


and  protection.  It  may  with  truth  be  said  of 
nations  as  it  is  of  individuals,  that  when  their 
ways  please  the  Lord,  he  maketh  even  their 
enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  them.  See  Prov. 
16:7;  20  : 22,  and  1  Pet.  8  : 13.  This  fact  is 
happily  illustrated  in  the  history  of  the  ancient 
Jews.  God  commanded  that  all  their  males 
should  appear  before  him  three  times  a  year, 
promising  them,  at  the  same  time,  a  security 
from  hostile  invasions  during  their  attendance 
upon  the  required  worship.  “Neither,77  said 
He,  “  shall  any  man  desire  thy  land,  when  thou 
shalt  go  up  to  appear  before  the  Lord  thy  God 
thrice  in  the  year.77  Ex.  34  :  23,  24.  “  It  is  a 

well-known  fact,77  remarks  Bishop  Horne,  “  that 
the  Jews  constantly  attended  these  feasts  with¬ 
out  fear  of  any  danger,  and  that  their  most 
vigilant  enemies  never  invaded  or  injured  them 
during  these  sacred  seasons.77  Thus  our  duty 
is  ever  our  best  interest ;  and  were  the  experi¬ 
ment  to  be  made,  in  this  or  any  land,  of  a  lit¬ 
eral,  fearless  obedience  to  the  gospel,  all  reason 
and  experience,  and  the  very  nature  of  the  di¬ 
vine  government,  assure  us  that  it  would  be 
crowned  with  success. 

III.  One  of  the  most  frequent  and  plausible 


202 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


pleas  for  war  is,  that  it  is  sometimes  necessary 
in  order  to  self-defence.  “Is  it  our  duty/7 
it  may  be  asked,  “to  surrender  our  liberties 
and  lives  to  the  encroachments  of  an  enemy 
without  a  struggle  ?”  No  :  when  these  are  at 
stake,  and  our  soil  is  invaded  by  a  foreign  foe, 
it  is  right  to  protect  them,  and  repel  the  enemy, 
if  needs  be,  by  force.  In  making  this  conces¬ 
sion,  however,  we  ask,  How  many  of  the  wars 
of  history  have  been  defensive?  This  is,  in¬ 
deed,  often  their  pretext,  but  its  falsehood  is 
apparent  in  almost  every  instance. 

This  very  plea  of  self-defence  implies  a  war 
of  attack  and  invasion.  The  abolition  of  all 
war  would  abolish  this  only  necessity  for  war ; 
for  in  doing  away  with  that  which  is  aggres¬ 
sive — whose  injustice  all  must  admit — it  would 
also  take  away  every  occasion  for  defence.  So 
that  even  allowing  this  plea  all  the  weight  that 
is  claimed  for  it,  it  still  affords  no  objection  to 
the  general  abolition  of  war  and  disarming  of 
the  nations,  but  rather  an  argument  in  its  favor. 
Is  it  sometimes  necessary  that  an  invading  foe 
be  repelled  by  force  of  arms  ?  It  will  be  seen 
at  once  how  this  very  fact  implies  that  other 
necessity  of  the  mutual  abolition  of  this  iniqui- 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


203 


tous  practice  ;  for  when  peace  is  once  made  the 
law  of  all  the  nations,  and  the  armies  are  dis¬ 
banded,  there  will  be  no  invasions  to  resist ,  and 
no  attacks  from  which  to  defend  ourselves. 

Besides,  who  knows  what  the  effect  would 
be,  if  a  declaration  of  war  were  met  with  a 
spirit  of  forbearance,  and  kind  efforts  at  con¬ 
ciliation,  instead  of  bitter  retorts  and  bristling- 
bayonets  ?  Let  any  nation  make  peace  its  avow¬ 
ed  policy,  and  resolve  never  to  fight  except 
when  the  evil  resisted  is  greater  than  would  be 
entailed  by  war,  and  after  having  patiently  en¬ 
deavored  to  defend  itself  by  other  means ;  and 
it  will  probably  shame  its  adversaries  from  their 
hostility,  or  weary  them  of  the  unequal  and  dis¬ 
graceful  conflict.  The  considerations  already 
advanced,  and  the  only  experience  to  which  we 
can  point — that  of  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania — 
leave  it  at  least  questionable  whether  the  most 
savage  of  nations  would  give  an  unarmed,  yet 
kind  and  forbearing  people,  any  occasion  for  war. 

IV.  Another  plea  for  war  is,  that  it  is  sanc¬ 
tioned  by  time-honored  custom.  It  has  been 
the  practice  of  nations  ever  since  their  exist¬ 
ence,  and  shall  we  boast  of  being  wiser  than 
our  fathers? 


204 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


It  is  indeed  an  institution  venerable  with 
years  ;  but  so  is  idolatry,  and  vice  and  crime  of 
every  description ;  and  the  argument,  in  order 
to  hold  good,  should  defend  them  all  alike.  If 
war  be  a  cruel,  unjust,  and  inefficacious  mode 
of  settling  national  differences,  then  the  fact 
that  it  has  been  long  persisted  in,  so  far  from 
rendering  it  otherwise,  only  makes  its  present 
practice  the  more  unreasonable.  By  having 
been  so  customary  in  all  past  ages,  it  has  given 
the  world  ample  opportunities  to  test  its  efficacy. 
From  the  ver}r  fact  that  it  has  been  so  gener¬ 
ally  engaged  in,  it  has  been  for  ages  sounding 
in  the  ears  of  man  its  lessons  of  bitter  experi¬ 
ence.  Shall  we  now  refuse  to  heed  those  les¬ 
sons,  and  casting  down  Example  from  her  true 
office  as  a  teacher,  enthrone  her  as  a  tyrant? 
Shall  we  persist  in  a  custom  whose  every  repe¬ 
tition  affords  a  fresh  argument  against  itself? 
To  do  this  would  be  to  act  unworthily  of  ra¬ 
tional  beings,  to  cast  aside  all  manly  independ¬ 
ence,  and  to  become  fettered  slaves  to  fashion. 
This  principle,  if  fully  carried  out,  would  abol¬ 
ish  Christianity  from  the  face  of  the  globe,  and 
inthral  mankind  in  sin  more  deeply  than  they 
now  are.  It  is  the  argument  of  a  bad  cause,  and 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


205 


its  very  weakness  condemns  the  system  in  whose 
favor  it  is  enlisted.  The  fact  that  it  is  made 
use  of  at  all,  reveals  the  degradation  to  which 
war  has  reduced  its  advocates.  It  is  customary, 
say  they,  to  butcher  human  beings,  to  burn  vil¬ 
lages,  to  demoralize  whole  countries,  and  to 
peril  the  eternal  interests  of  large  numbers 
of  our  fellow-men — “  customary,  and  therefore 
right !”  But  it  is  sufficient  to  exhibit  this  plea ; 
We  need  not  dwell  upon  it. 

V.  It  is  a  popular  plea  for  war,  that  insult¬ 
ed  honor  often  requires  it.  This  is  only  an¬ 
other  form  of  the  absurd  and  unchristian  maxim 
of  the  duellist,  which  is  now  generally  explod¬ 
ed  in  the  more  enlightened  circles  of  society. 
It  means  that  any  real  or  imagined  indignity 
to  that  most  delicate  and  sensitive  of  objects,  a 
nation’s  flag,  cannot  be  allowed  to  go  unpun¬ 
ished,  without  branding  with  public  disgrace 
every  individual  over  whom  that  flag  may 
wave. 

Supposing,  however,  that  a  real  injury  has 
been  inflicted — which  is  the  most  calculated  to 
tarnish  the  national  escutcheon,  a  forgiving,  or 
a  resentful  course  of  conduct?  Which  best 
displays  true  greatness — an  impetuous  descent 


206 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


to  the  base  level  of  the  offender,  or  a  magnan¬ 
imous  rising  above  it?  It  is  the  glory  of  a 
wise  nation,  as  well  as  of  a  wise  man,  “  to  pass 
over  a  transgression.77  No  reproach,  either  of 
a  nation  or  of  an  individual,  is  ever  wiped  out 
with  blood.  The  murder  only  plunges  its  per¬ 
petrator  from  a  fancied  dishonor  to  the  depths 
of  real  infamy.  “  Could  I  wipe  your  blood 
from  my  conscience  as  easily  as  I  can  wipe  this 
insult  from  my  face,77  said  a  marshal  of  France, 
with  a  greatness  to  which  he  had  never  attain¬ 
ed  on  the  field  of  battle,  “  I  would  have  laid 
you  dead  at  my  feet.77  True  honor  is  not  a 
thing  which  may  be  sullied  by  the  indignities 
of  others.  Christ  possessed  his  in  all  its  trans¬ 
parent  purity  while  the  multitude  were  reviling 
and  buffeting  him.  Had  he  resented  their  in¬ 
sults,  then,  and  then  only,  his  character  would 
have  been  tarnished.  So  a  nation  maintains  its 
honor  just  so  long  as  it  is  guilty  of  no  wrong 
actions,  and  no  degree  of  injury  or  disrespect 
can  deprive  her  of  it;  but  the  moment  she 
stoops  to  retaliate  abuse,  and  engage  in  the 
crime  of  murder,  she  becomes  disgraced,  and 
ought  to  be  so  regarded  by  every  true  man. 

Y I.  There  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  these 


PLEAS  FOR  WAR. 


207 


pleas  for  war  the  general  one  of  a  mistaken 

PATRIOTISM.  i 

Real  patriotism  we  would  by  no  means  un¬ 
dervalue.  The  love  of  one’s  country  and  its 
preference  to  every  other,  is  only  just  and  nat¬ 
ural.  But  who  best  displays  a  love  for  his 
country,  and  a  regard  for  its  honor  and  pros¬ 
perity — he  who  aids  in  plunging  it  into  war, 
and  thus  perils  or  destroys  its  highest  interests, 
or  he  who  strives  by  temperate  efforts  to  avert 
so  great  a  calamity?  Although,  in  his  enthusi¬ 
astic  ardor,  a  subject  may  be  willing  to  pour 
out  his  blood  for  the  fancied  honor  of  his  na¬ 
tion,  is  not  such  a  patriotism  apt  to  be  the 
result  of  excited  passion,  rather  than  of  cool 
reflection  ?  The  true  patriot  loves  his  country 
too  well  to  countenance  those  crimes  against 
God  which  are  sure  to  bring  upon  it  the  divine 
judgments ;  and  though  willing  himself  to  per¬ 
ish,  if  needs  be,  in  defence  of  lives  that  are 
dear  to  him,  is  unwilling  needlessly  to  sacrifice 
them  to  vengeance  or  ambition. 

Patriotism  has  been  made  the  pretext  for 
much  that  deserves  the  name  of  narrow-mind¬ 
ed  selfishness  and  bigotry.  The  love  of  one’s 
country  does  not  necessarily  demand  a  hatred 


208 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


of  every  other,  nor  a  wanton  disregard  of  their 
interests.  Neither  reason  nor  Scripture  justify 
us  in  bounding  our  love  to  men  by  the  narrow 
limits  of  our  national  territory.  They  alike 
bid  us  love  and  benefit  all  mankind,  irrespec¬ 
tive  of  country,  latitude,  or  creed.  The  true 
Christian  is  a  citizen  of  the  world,  and  he  is 
the  best  of  all  patriots,  because  his  sympathies 
extend  so  widely.  Yet  there  are  those  who 
inculcate,  under  the  specious  guise  of  patriot¬ 
ism,  an  inordinate  attachment  to  the  institu¬ 
tions  of  our  native  land,  to  the  despising  of 
every  other  ;  and  who  denounce  as  traitors 
those  who  will  not,  upon  slight  occasions,  take 
up  arms  against  a  foreign  power.  They  are 
themselves  traitors  to  humanity.  In  so  exalt¬ 
ing  the  lesser  bond  of  country,  they  forget  the 
higher  and  more  sacred  one  of  the  family  of 
man.  In  the  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan, 
our  Lord  rebukes  this  narrow  policy,  and  incul¬ 
cates  love  and  kindness,  not  only  to  those  of  a 
different  creed,  but  even  to  those  of  a  hostile 
nation.  A  failure  to  conform  to  these  teach¬ 
ings  has  done  much  towards  encouraging  a 
false  patriotism,  and  has  impelled  many  an  en¬ 
thusiast  into  the  battle-field  with  the  motto, 


LEAS  FOR,  WAR, 


209 


“  Our  country,  right  or  wrong.”  When  will 
men  learn  that  humanity  and  religion  are  be¬ 
fore  patriotism,  and  the  law  of  universal  love 
before  that  of  allegiance  to  one’s  country? 
Well  said  an  eloquent  American  statesman, 
“  Remember  that  you  are  men  by  a  more  sa¬ 
cred  bond  than  you  are  citizens ;  and  that  you 
are  children  of  a  common  Father  more  than 
you  are  Americans.”  There  is  a  patriotism 
that  is  far  above  the  love  of  any  one  earthly 
country;  it  is  that  which,  overleaping  all  boun¬ 
daries  of  kindred,  sect,  tribe,  or  nation,  feels  the 
woes  of  common  humanity,  and  girds  on  the 
gospel  armor  to  do  battle  against  them.  It  is 
that  which  arrays  itself  against  the  moral  ty¬ 
rants  of  the  world,  and  repels  the  invaders 
Strife  and  Passion,  who  have  so  long  robbed 
us  of  our  rightful  liberties.  All  the  world  is 
the  Christian’s  country,  and  all  mankind,  of 
every  race  and  clime,  are  his  fellow-citizens. 
No  man  is  under  such  strong  obligations  to  de¬ 
fend  his  native  land  from  human  foes,  as  he  is 
to  defend  the  world  from  the  inroads  of  hell’s 
armies.  Against  these  let  us  unite  our  forces; 
and  let  every  Christian,  every  philanthropist, 
every  man  arise,  and  in  the  strength  of  God 

Right  Way  14 


210 


THE  R1G-HT  WAY. 


battle  to  the  death  against  the  demon  War. 
This  would  be  a  patriotism  worthy  of  the  name. 

VII.  There  are  those  who  attempt  to  derive 
a  plea  for  war  from  the  Bible.  “  God  com¬ 
manded  it  to  the  Israelites/7  say  they  ;  “  and  in 
so  doing,  did  He  not  sanction  it  for  all  suc¬ 
ceeding  time  ?77 

This  argument,  like  all  others  adduced  by 
the  advocates  of  war,  is  in  the  face  of  the  gen¬ 
eral  spirit  of  Christianity.  As  has  been  shown, 
the  gospel  forbids  all  unnecessary  strife,  and 
demands  the  exercise  of  love,  forgiveness,  and 
forbearance  towards  enemies.  With  that  gos¬ 
pel  before  us,  is  it  more  than  just  to  conclude 
that  no  previous  commands  of  God  can  mili¬ 
tate  against  it ;  and  that,  although  unable  to 
reconcile  it  with  all  the  divine  dealings,  we 
must  still  obey  precepts  so  plain  and  indisputa¬ 
ble?  Those  precepts,  too,  are  addressed  di¬ 
rectly  to  us.  What  right,  then,  have  we  to  go 
back  to  commands  given  to  the  J ews  alone,  for 
the  standard  of  our  duty? 

The  plea  is,  however,  a  fallacious  one.  The 
wars  of  the  Jews  to  which  it  refers,  differed  in 
many  important  particulars  from  any  that  have 
since  been  undertaken.  Their  great  distin- 


PLEAS  FOE,  WAR. 


211 


guishing  feature  is  the  one  under  consideration. 
They  were  sanctioned  by  divine  authority,  and 
this  cannot  positively  he  affirmed  of  any  other  wars. 
And  does  not  the  very  fact  that  God  deemed 
it  necessary  to  command  them,  upon  the  occa¬ 
sions  referred  to,  seem  to  imply  that  they  would 
have  been,  under  other  circumstances, unlawful? 
Had  it  been  right  that  they  should  engage  in 
war  without  his  especial  sanction,  we  may  sup¬ 
pose  that  he  would  have  left  them  to  do  so,  in 
conformity  to  the  general  custom  of  that  age, 
and  merely  presided  over  their  battles,  and  con¬ 
ducted  them  to  a  successful  issue.  God,  how¬ 
ever,  the  Creator  of  men,  punishes  and  destroys 
them  in  many  ways  which  it  would  be  wrong 
for  man  to  imitate.  When,  for  wise  reasons, 
He  bid  the  Israelites  become  his  instruments 
for  punishing  the  idolatrous  nations,  he  did 
that  which,  while  perfectly  just  in  him,  would 
be  unjust  and  criminal  in  us.  When  the  divine 
command  can  again  be  proved  with  regard  to 
any  particular  war,  it  will  be  our  religious 
duty  to  obey  it.  Meantime  we  must  require 
something  more  than  the  plea  under  considera¬ 
tion  to  justify  a  system  which  is  opposed  to  the 
whole  tenor  of  the  gospel. 


212 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 

While  every  plea  that  can  be  urged  in  de¬ 
fence  of  the  practice  of  war  is  insufficient,  there 
are  the  strongest  arguments  against  it.  We 
shall  first  apply  to  it  the  test  of  reason,  and 
then  consider  the  authoritative  argument  from 
revelation. 

I.  We  affirm  that  war  is,  in  general,  unnec¬ 
essary.  As  has  already  been  observed,  those 
wars  which  are  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term 
defensive,  are  no  doubt  unavoidable.  With 
these  single  and  rare  exceptions,  however,  there 
are  none  which  are  demanded  by  the  actual 
necessities  of  the  combatants.  In  order  to 
prove  them  otherwise,  it  must  be  shown  that 
they  are  the  only  means  of  averting  fatal  calam¬ 
ities,  that  they  remove  evils  greater  than  them¬ 
selves,  and  that  they  procure  good  which  is 
absolutely  indispensable,  and  which  could  not 
be  obtained  in  any  other  way.  Those  who  look 
at  the  common  causes  and  results  of  war,  must 
admit  that  there  are  few,  if  any,  of  which  all 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


213 


this  can  truly  be  said.  A  careful  investigation 
into  the  occasions  of  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  great  and  bloody  wars,  instituted  by  the 
Massachusetts  Peace  Society,  ascertained  the 
following  to  be  their  origin :  “  Twenty-two  for 
plunder  or  tribute  ;  forty-four  for  the  extension 
of  territory ;  twenty-four  for  retaliation  or  re¬ 
venge  ;  six  about  disputed  boundaries ;  eight 
respecting  points  of  honor  or  prerogative ;  five 
for  the  protection  or  extension  of  commerce  ; 
fifty-five  civil  wars ;  forty-one  about  contested 
titles  to  crowns ;  thirty  under  pretence  of  as¬ 
sisting  allies  ;  twenty-three  from  mere  jealousy 
of  rival  greatness  ;  twenty-eight  religious  wars, 
including  the  crusades ;  not  one  for  defence  alone ” 
Now  who  will  say  that  one  of  these  wars  was 
necessary  ?  It  is  not  necessary  to  plunder  man¬ 
kind,  nor  to  extend  territory,  nor  to  retaliate 
injuries,  nor  thus  to  extend  commerce,  nor  to 
sacrifice  subjects  to  the  rival  claimants  of  a 
crown ;  nor  is  that  religion  necessary  which  is 
enforced  at  the  point  of  the  sword  or  bayonet. 
None  of  these  are  indispensable  to  men’s  exist¬ 
ence — none  of  them  such  wants  as  to  justify  this 
means  of  satisfying  them.  But  it  is  necessary 
that  men  should  live,  that  God  should  be  obeyed, 


214 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


that  crime  should  be  avoided,  and  that  souls 
should  not  be  trained  for  perdition,  and  then 
hurried  into  it. 

The  very  nature  of  war  proves  that  there 
can  be  little  if  any  real  necessity  for  it ;  for 
what  evil  is  so  great  that  this  one  can  relieve, 
instead  of  augmenting  it  ?  What  curse  so  dire, 
that  this  one  must  be  embraced  as  its  only  and 
better  alternative?  Is  it  possible  for  either 
rulers  or  subjects  to  be  reduced  to  such  extrem¬ 
ities  that  only  streams  of  human  blood  can  re¬ 
lieve  them  ?  Ah,  sin  has  caused  many  an  evil 
to  our  race,  but  none  that  requires  so  terrible 
a  remedy.  It  has  not  brought  us  to  such  straits 
that  war  is  become  one  of  the  necessaries  of 
life.  Men  have  suffered  for  the  want  of  Chris¬ 
tian  kindness  and  forbearance,  and  for  the  want 
of  peace,  but  never  for  want  of  war.  They 
have  suffered  for  the  want  of  virtue,  holiness, 
and  happiness,  but  never  for  want  of  misery, 
crime,  and  death.  War  is  necessary  only  as 
every  other  sin  is  necessary — because  men 
choose  to  engage  in  it ;  and  of  all  human  woes 
there  are  none  for  which  there  is  so  little  real 
occasion. 

II.  War  is  unreasonable  .  The  very  fact  that 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


215 


it  is  unnecessary,  proves  it  unreasonable;  for 
nothing  but  the  direst  necessity  can  justify  it, 
and  make  it  consistent  with  reason  and  good 
sense. 

God  has  endowed  us  with  minds  capable  of 
thought  and  reflection,  and  designed  to  guide 
us  in  choosing  between  opposite  courses  of  con¬ 
duct.  But  where  are  these  in  war?  What 
reason  is  there  in  mowing  down  whole  ranks  of 
humanity,  for  the  sake  of  deciding  questions 
with  which  physical  force  has  nothing  to  do? 
What  reason  in  draining  all  the  resources  of  a 
nation  in  order  to  recover  or  protect  a  trifling 
sum  ;  or  in  disgracing  a  nation  with  crime  in 
order  to  resent  a  real  or  imagined  insult ;  or 
in  adjusting  by  brute  force  and  low  cunning 
those  disputes  which  it  is  the  prerogative  of 
the  mind  to  settle  ?  What  conduct  can  be  more 
irrational  than  to  make  so  proverbially  fickle  a 
thing  as  war  a  sole  arbiter  of  right  and  wrong, 
and  to  submit  the  most  complicated  questions 
of  state  to  the  decision  of  a  battle-field?  Its 
most  learned  advocates  have  never  attempted 
to  prove  that  there  is  a  necessary  connection 
between  might  and  right,  or  weakness  and 
wrong.  The  strength  of  armies  and  the  skill 


216 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


of  generals  do  not  depend  upon  the  justness  of 
the  cause  which  calls  them  forth.  As  with  in¬ 
dividuals,  a  holy,  upright  man,  with  truth  upon 
his  side,  may  be  “in  bodily  presence  weak,” 
while  his  adversary  is  a  brutal  ruffian  of  giant 
strength,  so  it  may  be  with  nations. 

What  a  state  of  society  that  would  be  in 
which  physical  strength  was  the  only  arbiter 
of  justice !  Could  we  find  a  spot  where  men 
were  so  degraded,  we  should  see  the  strong 
trampling  upon  the  rights  of  the  weak,  feeble 
innocence  outraged  and  crushed,  and  no  truth 
or  justice  recognized  except  when  connected 
with  a  brawny  arm,  or  skill  in  the  use  of  weap¬ 
ons.  Upon  witnessing  these  frequent  triumphs 
of  might  over  justice,  we  should  almost  be  led 
to  question  whether  God  had  endowed  these 
beings  with  reason,  and  should  conclude  that 
they  were  more  akin  to  the  wild  beasts,  whose 
conduct  they  emulate,  than  to  rational,  intel¬ 
ligent  men,  whose  form  they  wear.  Such  a 
picture  is  presented  in  every  war,  and  such  a 
scene  is  often  enacted  in  the  family  of  Chris¬ 
tian  nations. 

It  was  once  the  custom  to  try  cases  of  alleged 
guilt  by  subjecting  the  accused  person  to  severe 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


217 


ordeals.  He  was  required  to  lift  a  redhot  iron 
in  his  hand,  or  to  walk  over  heated  plough¬ 
shares,  or  to  plunge  his  arm  in  boiling  water. 
If  he  was  possessed  of  sufficient  physical  nerve 
to  endure  the  test  without  flinching,  he  was  de¬ 
clared  innocent.  If  so  feeble  as  to  be  easily 
overcome  by  it,  no  further  proof  of  his  guilt 
was  deemed  necessary.  We  are  accustomed 
to  smile  at  the  superstitious  simplicity  of  our 
ancestors,  wdio  gravely  tried  the  most  impor¬ 
tant  offences  by  these  ordeals,  or  by  judicial 
combat ;  coming  generations  will,  in  like  man¬ 
ner,  wonder  at  us  who  try  national  offences, 
and  redress  national  wrongs,  by  the  equally 
unreasonable  ordeal  of  war.  There  is  scarcely 
more  connection  between  justice  and  war,  than 
between  it  and  redhot  ploughshares.  Right 
and  truth  depend  no  more  upon  a  victorious 
issue  to  the  one,  than  innocence  depended  upon 
a  triumphant  endurance  of  the  other.  In  both 
of  them  the  only  vindication  of  the  right  is  the 
superiority  of  physical  force  or  endurance. 

If  it  were  seriously  proposed  in  our  national 
councils  to  abolish  all  laws,  and  return  to  the 
practice  of  trial  by  ordeal,  the  suggestion  would 
not  only  find  no  support,  but  would  mark  the 


218 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


person  offering  it  as  beside  himself.  How,  then, 
should  we  regard  those  governments  which,  in 
plain  disregard  of  reason’s  clearest  dictates, 
persist  in  the  practice  of  trial  by  battle.  The 
absurdity  is  as  great  in  the  one  instance  as  it 
would  be  in  the  other.  Well  will  it  be  for  the 
nations  of  the  earth  when  they  shall  arise  to 
the  exercise  of  their  nobler  powers  of  mind, 
and  devote  to  the  amicable  adjustment  of  their 
differences  that  reason  which  is  now  so  gener¬ 
ally  employed  to  increase  them ;  or  rather, 
well  will  it  be  for  them  when  Reason’s  rays, 
purified  and  strengthened  by  an  enlightened 
Christianity,  shall  shed  sweet  beams  upon  that 
upward  path  which  leads  to  the  reign  of  uni¬ 
versal  peace. 

III.  War  is  unjust.  Nothing  is  just  which 
is  not  right  and  reasonable,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  revealed  will  of  God.  War,  as  a  sys¬ 
tem,  is  made  up  of  the  grossest  injustice  to  all 
who  are  concerned  in  it.  In  instances  of  indi¬ 
vidual  differences,  the  law  affords  to  both  par¬ 
ties  the  means  of  securing  justice.  In  order  to 
this,  it  provides  for  a  trial  by  jury,  or  a  refer¬ 
ence  to  disinterested  arbitrators.  But  how  is 
it  with  nations  ?  Each  assumes  the  right  to  be 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


219 


its  own  judge  and  jury,  to  decide  upon  the 
question  at  issue,  and  to  decree  and  inflict  the 
penalty.  Governments  and  sovereigns — them¬ 
selves  the  parties  most  deeply  interested,  and 
their  minds  warped  by  prejudice  and  passion — 
arrogate  the  sole  right  to  pronounce  judgment 
upon  those  who  offend  them,  and  enforce  their 
partial,  one-sided  decisions  at  the  point  of  the 
sword.  They  allow  no  right  or  opportunity  of 
trial  by  jury,  and  until  quite  recently  have  sel¬ 
dom  permitted  the  mediation  or  arbitration  of 
neutral  powers.  From  their  decisions  there  is 
no  appeal,  and  the  victims  of  their  oppressive 
verdicts  are  compelled  to  light  as  their  only 
alternative.  As  has  been  already  observed, 
justice  is  not  necessarily  secured  by  battles ; 
and  the  poor  culprits  who  are  arraigned  at  the 
bar  of  war,  must  make  muskets  and  bayonets 
their  only  plea,  rest  their  defence  upon  the 
courage  and  skill  of  their  soldiers,  and  look 
for  their  verdict  of  acquittal  or  condemnation 
in  their  victory  or  defeat.  "What  a  libel  upon 
justice  to  have  the  contested  point  fought  to  its 
decision  by  the  accuser  and  accused  !  Men  long 
since  discovered  the  injustice  of  this  mode  of 
trial  among  individuals,  and  abolished  it.  When 


220 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


will  they  perceive  that  it  is  equally  unjust  with 
nations  ? 

Again,  justice  would  seem  to  require  that  the 
punishment  decreed  fall  only  upon  the  guilty. 
In  war,  it  seldom  visits  them,  but  descends  with 
all  its  weight  upon  the  innocent.  Now  has  any 
government  such  a  right  to  the  lives  of  its  sub¬ 
jects,  that  it  can  sacrifice  them  for  the  sake  of 
punishing  others?  In  war  it  is  not  the  rulers 
who  suffer.  They,  having  decreed  the  mischief, 
sit  aloof  from  it,  and  see  their  subjects,  men 
who  are  but  slightly  interested  in  the  contested 
question,  if  at  all,  hewn  down  by  thousands. 
As  the  French  troops  were  embarking  for 
Constantinople,  in  1853,  an  old  man  exclaimed 
mournfully,  “There  goes  my  only  child,  to  fight 
for  a  cause  he  does  not  understand,  and  against 
men  with  whom  he  never  had  a  difference.” 
Now  what  justice  is  there  in  thus  dragging  a 
man  from  his  peaceful  pursuits  and  his  rightful 
home,  condemning  him  to  toilsome  marches, 
fatigue,  disease,  and  immoral  influences,  and 
then  bidding  him  stain  his  hands  with  the  blood 
of  those  who  have  never  injured  either  him  or 
his  country,  and  who  have  done  nothing  deserv¬ 
ing  of  death  ?  What  justice  in  bidding  him 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


221 


stain  his  soul  with  blackest  crimes,  and  then 
expose  his  life  to  those  who  have  no  cause  for 
hating  him?  What  justice  in  desolating  happy 
homes,  bereaving  fond  hearts,  and  clothing  half 
the  land  in  mourning,  in  order  to  satisfy  a  mere 
caprice  or  avenge  an  insult  ?  The  evils  of  war 
fall  almost  wholly  upon  the  people.  By  far  the 
greater  number  of  sufferers  are  those  who  are 
innocent  of  any  wrong  against  their  destroyers. 
Mark  the  course  of  an  invading  army.  See 
the  fields  laid  waste ;  the  families  ruined  ;  the 
peaceful  men  and  women  and  children  made 
wretched  or  destroyed.  What  have  they  done  to 
deserve  such  suffering?  Look  on  the  battle¬ 
field.  How  have  those  troops  offended  against 
one  another,  or  what  crimes  has  the  one  army 
committed  against  the  government  of  the  other? 
They  are  only  the  dupes  and  substitutes  of  the 
real  offenders,  if  any  there  are ;  and  while 
innocence  is  there  becoming  guilt,  and  pouring 
out  the  life’s  blood  of  both  soul  and  body,  the 
parties  who  impose  their  quarrels  upon  them 
are  lounging  in  their  comfortable  homes,  and 
smiling  approvingly  upon  the  self-sacrificing 
patriotism  of  their  brave  subjects. 

Justice  presides  not  over  scenes  of  strife. 


222 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


The  turbulence  of  the  battle-field  is  not  his 
congenial  element.  If  you  look  for  him  he  is 
found  only  amid  calm,  peaceful  scenes,  where 
reason  and  judgment  wield  their  quiet  suprem¬ 
acy,  and  not  a  breath  of  passion  disturbs  the 
even  balance  of  his  scales.  And  Justice  speaks 
not  in  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  ravings  of 
frenzied  blasphemy,  but  in  tones  of  manly  firm¬ 
ness  and  deep  deliberation.  Injustice  of  the 
most  glaring  kind  rules  every  phase  of  war, 
from  its  first  declaration  to  the  last  victim 
whom  it  leaves  dead  upon  the  field. 

IY.  War  is  inhuman.  We  need  not  re¬ 
hearse  its  cruelties  ;  the  view  of  them  which 
has  already  passed  before  us  is  sufficiently 
shocking.  The  humane  mind  instinctively  re¬ 
coils  from  the  horrid  barbarities  of  the  battle¬ 
field.  There  are  those  who  succeed,  by  dint 
of  long  habit,  in  accustoming  themselves  to 
behold  such  scenes  unmoved ;  but  they  are 
themselves  living  monuments  to  the  evils  of  a 
practice  which  can  transform  pitying,  feeling 
men  into  such  unnatural  monsters.  Were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  war  hardens  its  votaries 
to  the  view  of  suffering,  and  crushes  all  their 
tender  sensibilities  to  an  alarming  degree,  it 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


223 


would  probably  have  ceased  long  ago  for  the 
want  of  hands  to  wage  it.  Viewing  mankind 
in  general,  and  not  merely  the  practised  sol¬ 
dier,  whose  trade  is  murder,  war  is  a  violent 
outrage  upon  human  nature.  It  arouses  the 
whole  being  of  man  in  indignant  revolt ;  and 
every  emotion  of  love,  kindness,  pity,  sympa¬ 
thy,  humanity,  and  virtue  unite  in  protesting 
against  it,  and  overwhelming  him  who  engages 
in  it  with  shame  and  horror.  He  who  for  the 
first  time  fights  an  enemy  in  battle,  must  mean¬ 
while  contend  resolutely  against  his  own  vio¬ 
lated  feelings  and  instincts.  He  may  tempo¬ 
rarily  overcome  them  in  the  wild  excitement 
and  thirst  for  vengeance  or  glory  which  impel 
him  forward,  giving  him  no  time  to  think  or 
feel ;  but  he  must  pass  through  a  severe  strug¬ 
gle,  and  make  violent  sacrifice  of  his  humanity, 
before  he  can  become  “a  good  soldier.”  A 
letter-writer  from  the  Crimea  has  thus  de¬ 
scribed  the  feelings  of  a  soldier  in  time  of  con¬ 
flict  :  “  Before  the  battle  begins,  it  is  usual  to 
feel  no  little  tremor,  and  many  cheeks  which 
are  known  to  be  in  communication  with  stout 
hearts,  blanch  visibly.  As  the  conflict  becomes 
imminent,  courage  returns,  and  with  the  first 


/ 


224 


THE  EIGHT  WAY. 


flow  of  blood,  an  enthusiasm  is  raised  which 
constantly  increases,  and  very  seldom  flags  in 
the  least  until  the  last  shot  is  fired.  The  effect 
of  seeing  a  comrade  shot  down  is  generally  to  excite 
an  unappeasable  thirst  for  vengeance  against  the  foe, 
though  in  the  end  one  ‘  gets  used  to  it.’  ” 

The  following  affecting  statement  is  from  a 
letter  written  by  an  English  sailor  to  his  wife, 
and  describes  his  sensations  upon  killing  a  man 
for  the  first  time.  “We  were  ordered  to  fire. 
I  took  steady  aim,  and  fired  on  my  man  at  about 
sixty  yards.  He  fell  like  a  stone.  At  the  same 

time  a  broadside  from  the - went  in  among 

the  trees,  and  the  enemy  disappeared,  we  could 
scarcely  tell  how.  I  felt  as  though  I  must  go 
up  to  him ,  to  see  whether  he  was  dead  or  alive. 
He  lay  quite  still,  and  I  was  more  afraid  of 
him  lying  so,  than  when  he  stood  facing  me  a 
few  moments  before.  It ’s  a  strange  feeling  to 
come  over  you  all  at  once  that  you  have  killed 
a  man.  He  had  unbuttoned  his  jacket,  and 
was  pressing  his  hand  over  the  front  of  his 
chest,  where  the  wound  was.  He  breathed 
hard,  and  the  blood  poured  from  the  wound 
and  also  from  his  mouth  every  breath  he  took. 
His  face  was  white  as  death,  and  his  eyes 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


225 


looked  so  big  and  bright  as  lie  turned  them 
and  stared  at  me — I  shall  never  forget  it.  He 
was  a  line  young  fellow,  not  more  than  five  and 
twenty.  I  went  down  on  my  knees  beside  him, 
and  my  breast  felt  so  full,  as  though  my  own 
heart  would  burst.  He  had  a  real  English 
face,  and  did  not  look  like  an  enemy.  What  I 
felt  I  never  can  tell,  but  if  my  life  would  have 
saved  his,  I  believe  I  should  have  given  it.  I 
laid  his  head  on  my  knee,  and  he  tried  to  speak, 
but  his  voice  was  gone.  I  could  not  tell  a  word 
he  said,  and  every  time  he  tried  to  speak,  the 
blood  poured  out  so,  I  knew  it  would  soon  be 
over.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  that  I  was  worse 
than  he,  for  he  never  shed  a  tear,  and  I  couldn’t 

help  it . I  was  wondering  how  I  could 

leave  him  to  die,  and  no  one  near  him,  when  he 
had  something  like  a  convulsion  for  a  moment, 
and  then  his  face  rolled  over,  and  with  a  sigh  he 
was  gone.  I  trust  the  Almighty  has  received 
his  soul.  I  laid  his  head  gently  down  on  the 
grass,  and  left  him.  It  seemed  so  strange  when 
I  looked  at  him  for  the  last  time — I  somehow 
thought  of  every  thing  I  had  heard  about  the 
Turks  and  Russians,  and  the  rest  of  them — but 
all  that  seemed  so  far  off, *  and  the  dead  man  so  near ” 
Right  Way  1  5 


226 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


V.  War  is  inefficacious.  Whether  there 
be  any  other  means  of  redressing  national 
wrongs  or  not,  experience  shows  that  war  does 
not,  in  most  cases,  accomplish  that  end.  Its 
chief  efficacy  is  for  the  infliction  of  wrongs. 
It  is  a  system  which,  while  causing  innumer¬ 
able  other  evils,  rarely  affords  relief  from  the 
ones  that  prompt  it.  As  far  as  regards  any 
positive  good  accruing  from  it,  it  is  generally 
of  no  avail.  God  may  sometimes  overrule  it 
for  good,  as  he  does  the  whirlwind,  pestilence, 
and  fire ;  those  ends,  however,  which  men  de¬ 
sign  that  it  shall  secure — unless  they  are  the 
unworthy  ones  of  retaliation  and  revenge — are 
seldom  attained  by  it.  It  usually  parts  the 
combatants  yet  more  widely  asunder,  and  only 
casts  new  obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  amicable 
agreement. 

Yattel,  a  writer  of  high  authority,  has  said, 
“  It  is  an  error,  no  less  absurd  than  pernicious, 
to  say  that  war  is  to  decide  controversies  be¬ 
tween  those  who,  as  is  the  case  with  nations, 
acknowledge  no  judge.  It  is  power  or  prudence, 
rather  than  right,  that  victory  usually  declares  for.'' 
Jefferson  says,  “War  is  an  instrument  entirely 
inefficient  towards  redressing  wrongs,  and  multi- 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


227 


plies,  instead  of  indemnifying  losses.77  “  The 
wars  of  Europe  for  these  two  hundred  years 
past,77  says  an  eminent  English  writer,  “  by  the 
confession  of  all  parties,  have  really  ended  in 
the  advantage  of  none,  but  to  the  manifest  det¬ 
riment  of  all.”  As  a  general  thing,  it  may  be 
confidently  asserted  that  war  is  useless.  The 
curse  of  God  is  attached  to  it,  and  it  bears 
none  but  bitter  fruits.  As  this  branch  of  our 
subject  has  been  in  part  anticipated,  we  need 
not  dwell  upon  it. 

VI.  War  is  inglorious.  We  read  much  of 
the  splendor  of  martial  achievements,  of  “  brill¬ 
iant  victories/7  and  “  glorious  conquests.77  Con¬ 
querors  have  been  crowned  with  wreaths  and 
garlands,  and  men  have  vied  in  doing  them 
reverent  homage.  Heathen  nations  have  even 
deified  their  most  successful  warriors — and 
have  not  Christian  nations  at  times  practically 
enthroned  them  above  the  Prince  of  peace? 
History  has  prostituted  its  pen  to  the  work  of 
transmitting  their  names  with  lustre  to  poster¬ 
ity,  and  has  fatally  dazzled  many  weak  minds 
with  the  halo  of  glory  which  it  has  cast  around 
them.  All  this,  however,  is  a  mere  disguise, 
which  cloaks  from  view  the  shameful  reality. 


228 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


It  is  time  that  the  mask  were  stripped  off  from 
this  horrid  monster,  and  his  true  character 
revealed  in  all  its  hideous  deformity.  It  is 
time  that  the  nations  ceased  to  glory  in  their 
shame,  and  to  look  for  honor  in  that  which 
only  stains  them  with  infamy.  It  is  for  Chris¬ 
tians  of  the  present  day  to  unite  in  reversing 
the  erroneous  sentiments  of  mankind  upon  this 
subject,  by  no  longer  countenancing  the  false¬ 
hood  that  even  the  most  successful  war  is  glo¬ 
rious. 

The  divine  word  affords  the  only  correct 
standard  of  national  as  well  as  individual 
greatness.  It  says,  “  Righteousness  exalteth  a 
nation ,  hut  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people Prov. 
14:  84.  Nothing,  then,  is  creditable  which  is 
not  right.  No  degree  of  factitious  splendor 
can  impart  a  real  glory  to  crime.  Whatever 
be  its  form,  and  whatever  its  extenuating  cir¬ 
cumstances,  it  is  in  itself,  and  from  its  very 
nature,  a  disgrace.  How  inglorious,  then,  must 
that  practice  be  which  involves  the  commission 
of  so  many  crimes  against  God  and  man.  Were 
not  our  minds  warped  by  the  world’s  false  max¬ 
ims,  we  should  regard  the  nation  that  unjustly 
engages  in  it  as  branded  with  deepest  ignominy. 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


229 


We  should  see  that  to  wage  war  is,  in  most 
cases,  a  far  greater  degradation  than  to  he 
defeated  in  it ;  and  that  they  who  resort  to  it 
in  order  to  humble  an  enemy,  thereby  lower 
themselves  to  a  depth  yet  more  humiliating. 
There  is  no  disgrace  in  being  wronged  and 
oppressed — and  if  it  be  in  a  good  cause,  and 
patiently  endured  and  forgiven,  there  is  glory 
in  it ;  but  there  is  disgrace  in  wronging  and 
oppressing  others. 

If  we  look  at  war  as  it  really  is,  and  divested 
of  its  disguises,  we  shall  see  that  it  is  usually 
made  up  of  those  courses  of  conduct  on  the  part 
of  nations  which  are  considered  infamous  when 
practised  by  individuals.  Is  it  glorious  to  rob 
or  wantonly  destroy  another’s  property  ?  or  to 
engage  in  prize-fighting  ?  or  to  attack  defence¬ 
less  persons,  and  triumph  over  women  and  chil¬ 
dren?  or  to  take  advantage  of  another s  inse¬ 
curity,  and  like  the  midnight  assassin,  murder 
a  victim  when  he  is  off  his  guard  ?  or  to  sacri¬ 
fice  other  persons  in  order  to  screen  ourselves 
from  injury?  Such  actions,  when  performed 
by  individuals,  are  universally  pronounced  dis¬ 
honorable.  Why  are  they  not  held  to  be 
equally  base  when  done  by  nations  ?  They  are 


230 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


in  reality  far  more  so,  if  there  is  any  propor¬ 
tion  between  the  extent  of  a  disgraceful  action 
and  the  degree  of  shame  that  attaches  to  it. 
Well  asks  the  poet, 

“  Is  death  more  cruel  from  a  private  dagger, 

Than  in  a  field  from  murdering  swords  of  thousands  ? 

Or  does  the  number  slam  make  slaughter  glorious?” 

The  truth  is,  that  even  when  war  is  necessary 
and  unavoidable,  it  should  be  viewed  as  a  most 
humiliating  alternative.  The  successful  gen¬ 
eral,  or  the  one  who  has  succeeded  in  murder¬ 
ing  the  greatest  number,  instead  of  being  ap¬ 
plauded  and  worshipped  as  a  demigod,  should 
be  greatly  commiserated.  The  soldiers,  instead 
of  being  distinguished  by  their  gay  uniforms, 
should  carefully  avoid  making  known  their 
real  profession ;  and  the  epaulet  should  be  re¬ 
garded  as  discreditable  to  its  wearer.  Every 
battle,  whether  victorious  or  otherwise,  should 
cause  each  patriot  cheek  to  burn  with  shame ; 
and  should  be  announced,  not  by  booming  can¬ 
non  and  pealing  bells,  but  by  flags  at  half-mast 
and  tolling  bells,  in  token  of  the  national  dis¬ 
honor.  Thus  war  should  be  regarded  even  in 
those  rare  cases  when  it  may  be  necessary.  If 
it  were  thus  regarded ,  it  would  soon  be  discovered 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


231 


that  it  is  far  from  necessary.  Such  a  state  of 
public  sentiment  would  be  enough  to  overturn 
every  plea  in  its  favor,  and  there  would  then 
be  no  lack  of  expedients  which  should  settle 
the  difficulties  of  nations,  and  yet  spare  them 
this  mutual  infamy. 

It  cannot  be  questioned  that  the  false  halo 
of  glory  which  is  thrown  by  most  poets  and 
historians  about  successful  warfare,  whether 
right  or  wrong,  has  done  much  towards  per¬ 
petuating  this  disgraceful  practice.  Our  liter¬ 
ature  is  debased  with  many  glowing  accounts 
of  military  achievements,  which  exert  a  most 
pernicious  influence  in  favor  of  war.  Such 
representations  captivate  and  poison  many  a 
youthful  mind,  excite  false  notions  of  honor, 
and  lead  men  to  admire  and  practise  those 
courses  of  conduct  which  God  abhors,  and  the 
Bible  condemns.  Poetry,  painting,  and  elo¬ 
quence  have  vied  in  honoring  the  destroyers 
of  mankind ;  and  to  them  we  are  to  a  great 
measure  indebted  for  the  military  spirit  which 
so  widely  prevails.  Alas,  that  genius  should 
thus  pervert  its  sacred  trust,  and  maintain  an 
unholy  alliance  with  sin  and  shame !  Well  will 
it  be  for  the  world  when  all  our  popular  liter- 


232 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ature,  and  the  voice  of  public  opinion  shall  be 
made  to  subserve  the  cause  of  righteousness 
and  true  honor. 

A  most  important  step  will  have  been  gained 
when  the  public  is  led  to  view  this  subject  in 
its  true  light.  We  ask  all  Christians  and  phi¬ 
lanthropists  to  do  their  part  towards  bringing 
about  so  desirable  a  change.  Let  the  heroes 
of  war  be  plucked  from  their  lofty  pedestals, 
and  let  the  places  in  the  world’s  esteem,  which 
most  of  them  have  so  unworthily  occupied,  be 
filled  by  those  who  are  truly  glorious — the 
meek,  the  loving,  and  the  forgiving.  Let  the 
laurels  which  have  so  long  crowned  the  brows 
of  Cmsar,  Alexander,  and  Napoleon,  encircle 
those  of  Stephen  and  John,  and  all  martyrs  to 
peace.  Above  all,  let  the  forgiving  Jesus  be 
so  enthroned  in  every  land  and  in  every  heart, 
that  he  shall  be  looked  upon  as  the  true  type 
of  national  and  individual  grandeur.  Let  the 
truth  be  everywhere  inculcated,  that  it  is  more 
glorious  to  suffer  wrong  than  to  do  wrong — 
that  it  is  glorious  to  forbear,  but  inglorious  to 
resent — glorious  to  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace, 
but  inglorious  to  foster  those  of  war — glorious 
to  obey  God,  but  inglorious  to  obey  passion — 


WAR  TESTED  BY  REASON. 


233 


glorious  to  do  right,  but  inglorious  to  do 
wrong — that  “righteousness  exalteth  a  nation, 
but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people.77 

The  church  and  many  in  the  world  have 
learned  to  attach  the  idea  of  true  glory  to  the 
millennium.  Prophecy  has  given  us  an  insight 
into  the  nature  of  that  glory,  and  one  impor¬ 
tant  feature  of  it  is  summed  up  in  the  words, 
“  They  shall  not  learn  war  any  more.”  The  prom¬ 
ise  is  richly  suggestive.  It  teaches  us  that  the 
splendors  of  Messiah7s  reign  are  not  to  be  those 
of  brilliant  victories  and  martial  renown,  but 
such  as  can  only  exist  in  the  absence  of  these, 
and  in  the  universal  prevalence  of  peace.  The 
Christian  mind  will  require  no  stronger  evi¬ 
dence  that  war  is  inglorious.  The  Christian 
nation  need  require  no  other,  and  will  best 
promote  its  true  dignity  and  grandeur  by  con¬ 
forming,  not  to  the  false  human  standards  of 
the  past,  but  to  that  divine  one  which  looms  up 
from  the  millennial  future. 


234 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  GOSPEL,  OR  WAR 
UNCHRISTIAN. 

If,  as  has  been  shown,  the  Right  Way  pre¬ 
scribed  in  the  gospel  is  applicable  to  nations, 
and  rulers  are  under  solemn  obligations  to 
conform  to  it,  it  requires  no  extended  argument 
to  prove  that  war  is,  in  general ,  unchristian. 

I.  War  is  a  violation  of  the  LAW  OF  LOVE. 
See  Matt.  22:39;  5  :  44. 

It  is  a  system  which  is  both  the  offspring 
and  parent  of  hate.  We  cannot  conceive  of  a 
nation’s  loving  its  neighbor  as  itself,  and  yet 
inflicting  upon  it  those  injuries  which  it  is  the 
avowed  object  of  war  to  produce.  More  espe¬ 
cially  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  war  in 
connection  with  an  obedience  to  the  precept, 
“  Love  your  enemies It  is  generally  considered 
a  sufficient  reason  for  this  practice  that  one 
government  or  one  nation  has  assumed  the  atti¬ 
tude  of  hostility  towards  another.  However 
the  public  may  deprecate  such  an  abuse  of 
friendly  relations  as  the  invasion  of  an  unof¬ 
fending  country,  there  seems  to  have  been, 


WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  GOSPEL. 


235 


with  the  masses,  but  one  opinion  as  to  the  just¬ 
ness  of  punishing  by  battle  those  who  have 
injured  us.  If  a  ruler  or  government,  when 
bent  upon  war,  can  but  make  it  appear  that  any 
particular  nation  is  “  the  enemy/7  the  desired 
end  is  easily  gained.  That  magic  word  usually 
suffices  to  arouse  the  public  indignation,  to  open 
the  floodgates  of  passion,  to  enkindle  a  false 
patriotism,  to  unlock  the  national  resources, 
and  to  make  the  deluded  people  the  willing 
tools  of  scheming  and  ambitious  politicians. 
Every  consideration  of  duty,  honor,  interest, 
and  right  is  at  once  overwhelmed.  The  fact 
that  a  tribe  or  nation  either  has  committed  or 
designs  committing  a  hostile  act,  is  deemed  a 
sufficient  excuse  for  assailing  its  commerce,  and 
at  any  cost  crippling  its  energies  and  destroy¬ 
ing  its  lives.  The  practical  maxim  of  most 
governments  appears  to  be  even  more  selfish 
and  unloving  than  that  of  the  heartless  phari- 
saic  Jews.  Without  fully  admitting  the  first 
half  of  their  precept,  “Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor/7  excepting  when  it  appears  to  be  for 
their  interest  to  do  so,  they  adopt  in  its  fullest 
extent  the  second,  Thou  shalt  “  hate  thine  en¬ 
emy.77 


236 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


If  the  gospel  be  the  only  rule  of  right,  the 
spirit  and  conduct  required  of  nations  is  the 
precise  opposite  of  this.  Its  precepts  demand 
that  we  do  nothing  to  a  hostile  power  which  is 
not  consistent  with,  and  prompted  by  a  hearty 
love  towards  it.  The  injurious  conduct  of 
enemies  should  be  met  with  kind  forbearance, 
and  a  tender  regard  for  their  interests.  The 
inquiry  should  be,  not  how  we  may  best  retal¬ 
iate,  but  how  we  may  do  them  the  most  good. 
The  national  enthusiasm  should  be  aroused,  not 
to  the  work  of  hating,  but  to  that  of  loving  and 
blessing  them.  Even  should  the  display  of  this 
spirit  fail  to  overcome  their  hostility — a  failure 
which  it  is  probable  would  seldom  if  ever  oc¬ 
cur — and  should  self-defence  demand  that  some 
degree  of  resistance  be  opposed  to  them,  it 
would  still  be  our  duty,  as  far  as  possible,  to 
love  them,  and  to  refrain  from  injuring  them 
to  any  greater  degree  than  necessity  required. 
Such  is  clearly  the  nation’s  duty,  as  set  forth 
in  the  precept,  “  Love  your  enemies.’’ 

But  how  widely  opposite  are  the  law  of  love, 
and  the  generally  accepted  law  of  nations! 
Where  is  love  in  those  councils  which  deliber¬ 
ately  plot  the  ruin  of  a  foreign  power?  Ah, 


WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  GOSPEL. 


237 


it  is  studiously  banished  from  such  assemblies ; 
and  it  is  too  generally  the  case  that  only  ambi¬ 
tion,  envy,  hatred,  and  revenge  find  entrance 

there.  Who  will  sav  that  a  ruler  loves  that 

%/ 

nation  which  he  bids  his  armies  do  their  utmost 
to  destroy?  Where  is  love  in  the  nation’s 
heart,  when  it  is  draining  its  resources  and 
risking  its  lives  for  the  sake  of  avenging  itself 
upon  another  nation ;  when  the  universal  de¬ 
sire  to  crush  an  offending  power  pervades  the 
masses  of  the  people,  and  even,  too  often  in 
awful  mockery,  has  its  place  in  their  prayers ; 
and  when  they  celebrate  with  festivals  and  Te 
Deums  each  new  triumph  of  cruelty  over  large 
numbers  of  their  fellow-men?  Where  is  love 
in  the  battle-field  ?  Does  its  soft  voice  speak 
in  the  roar  of  artillery,  or  the  strains  of  mar¬ 
tial  music,  or  the  raving  curses  of  the  imbruted 
soldiery?  Does  love  aim  the  fatal  shot,  and 
direct  the  bayonet  to  human  hearts?  Does 
love  wound  and  maim  and  kill  intelligent  crea¬ 
tures  of  God,  and  hurl  undying  souls  into  per¬ 
dition?  No  :  for  “love  worketh  no  ill  to  his 
neighbor.” 

II.  War  is  a  violation  of  those  precepts  of 
the  gospel  which  require  forgiveness.  See 


238 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


Matt.  6  : 12, 14, 15  ;  Mark  11:25;  Luke  17  :  3, 
4;  Col.  3:12,  13;  Eph.  4:31,  32. 

Frequent  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of 
this  virtue  are  afforded  in  the  career  of  every 
nation,  yet  how  rarely  it  is  exhibited.  Even 
when  an  injury  is  not  violently  resented,  how 
few  think  of  forgiving  it.  If,  for  reasons  of 
state  policy,  it  is  allowed  to  go  unpunished,  it 
still  excites  hatred  and  rancor  in  the  public 
mind,  and  kindles  a  flame  which  is  liable,  upon 
the  slightest  occasion,  to  burst  forth  in  all  the 
desolating  fury  of  war.  To  withhold  chastise¬ 
ment  from  an  offending  nation,  when  it  is  in 
our  power  to  inflict  it,  is  deemed  magnanimous. 
To  forgive  its  injurious  conduct  is  such  a  moral 
triumph  as  has  been  seldom,  if  ever  achieved. 
Even  when  outward  peace  is  maintained,  the 
offending  power  is  still  viewed  with  resent¬ 
ment  ;  and  the  trespass  which  is  not  “  redress¬ 
ed/’  or  wiped  away  with  blood,  is  generally 
permitted  to  rankle  for  years,  until  time,  and 
not  duty,  has  buried  it  in  oblivion. 

That  war  is  opposed  to  the  exercise  of  for¬ 
giveness,  need  hardly  be  said.  The  two  are  as 
widely  different  as  can  well  be  imagined,  and 
none  will  assert  that  they  are  otherwise.  The 


WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  GOSPEL. 


239 


whole  practice  is  an  exhibition,  upon  a  grand 
scale,  of  an  unforgiving  spirit.  It  is  such  in 
its  origin,  in  its  entire  conduct,  in  the  disposi¬ 
tions  which  it  requires  and  fosters,  and  in  its 
invariable  results.  This  fact  is  too  plain  to 
require  comment. 

Such  being  the  case,  what  a  fearful  curse 
must  rest  upon  every  unforgiving  nation.  For 
all  the  awful  threatenings  uttered  against  those 
who  cherish  this  spirit,  are  applicable  to  na¬ 
tions,  as  to  individuals.  History  has  proved 
that  God,  in  his  providential  dealings  with  our 
race,  treats  every  nation  or  government  as  an 
accountable  moral  person — there  being,  how¬ 
ever,  this  difference  between  them  and  individ¬ 
uals,  that  as  nations  exist,  in  their  peculiar 
character,  only  in  this  world,  their  punishment 
must  of  necessity  be  inflicted  here,  while  that 
of  individuals  is  more  often  reserved  for  the 
world  to  come.  A  knowledge  of  this  fact  will 
afford  the  reason  of  many  national  reverses 
which  seem  otherwise  unaccountable.  They 
are  often  the  fulfilment  of  that  divine  threat 
which  has  so  long  been  sounded  in  the  ears  of 
man,  “  If  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your  tres- 


240 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


passes.”  Matt.  6:15.  Every  country  sins 
often  and  grievously  against  Clod,  and  lias 
much  need  of  his  forgiveness ;  but  although  it 
is  implored  in  thousands  of  sanctuaries,  and 
special  days  are  set  apart  for  the  purpose  of 
humiliation  and  prayer,  the  nation  that  engages 
unjustly  in  war  forfeits  all  claim  to  it.  Its 
guilt  is  likely  to  remain  unpardoned,  and  it 
continues  exposed  to  the  full  weight  of  its  de¬ 
served  punishment,  and  must  expect  at  some 
time  to  be  overtaken  by  it.  We  commend  this 
thought  to  the  attention  of  rulers,  and  ask 
whether  they  are  willing,  by  disobeying  the 
gospel,  to  bring  upon  the  nation  the  retribu¬ 
tion  of  its  guilt,  and  oppose  a  barrier  to  the 
prayers  of  pious  citizens  or  subjects.  Will 
they  not  much  better  secure  their  country’s 
prosperity,  and  avert  the  dangers  with  which 
its  sins  may  threaten  it,  by  heeding  the  prom¬ 
ise,  “If  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your 
heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you/7  and  by 
enabling  the  prayer  to  go  up  consistently  in 
the  nation’s  behalf,  from  thousands  of  loving 
and  patriot  hearts,  “  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as 
we  forgive  our  debtors  ?” 

III.  'War  is  a  violation  of  the  precept,  “  Re- 


WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  GOSPEL.  241 

sist  not  evil.”  See  Matt.  5  :  39  ;  1  Pet.  3:9; 
Rom.  12  :  14,  21. 

Applying  to  this  branch  of  our  subject  the 
rules  laid  down  in  our  Lord’s  sermon  on  the 
mount,  we  find  that  it  is  a  nation’s  duty  to 
suffer  most  kinds  of  wrong,  rather  than  resist 
them.  War,  however,  is  a  mutual  infliction 
of  and  resistance  to  injury.  Its  guilt,  too,  is 
aggravated  by  the  fact  that  the  resistance 
which  it  makes  is  of  so  severe  and  bloody  a 
character.  How  fearfully  criminal  those  na¬ 
tions  must  be  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  not  only 
disobey  this  precept,  but,  in  their  violation  of 
it,  inflict  such  enormous  evils.  For  instance, 
when  the  offence  resisted  is  the  comparatively 
trivial  one  of  a  national  insult,  or  a  slight  in¬ 
jury  to  commerce,  how  grossly  sinful  is  that 
resistance  which  destroys  millions  of  property 
upon  both  sides,  and  many  valuable  lives,  and 
entails  upon  the  two  nations  all  the  evils  of  a 
state  of  war!  Unchristian  as  it  is  for  one  or 
a  few  persons  to  resent  and  wrongfully  resist 
injuries,  the  crime  becomes  of  a  tenfold  magni¬ 
tude  when  nations  are  guilty  of  it. 

IY.  War  is  yet  more  plainly  a  violation  of 
those  precepts  which  require  us  to  render 

16 


P.ight  Way. 


242 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


good  for  evil.  See  Matt.  5  : 44,  45  ;  1  Pet. 
3:9;  Bom.  12:14,  17,  20,  21. 

These  precepts  would  seem  to  demand  that 
nations  not  only  endure  ordinary  wrongs  with¬ 
out  resistance,  but  that  they  also  confer  posi¬ 
tive  good  upon  those  who  offend  them.  Thus, 
in  cases  of  injury  received,  the  right  way  of 
responding  to  it  would  often  be  by  an  effort  to 
benefit  the  hostile  country.  Instead  of  a  dec¬ 
laration  of  war,  there  should  be  proofs  of  con¬ 
tinued  amity.  Instead  of  studying  its  weak 
points  in  order  to  attack  them,  we  should 
study  its  wants  in  order  to  relieve  them.  In¬ 
stead  of  prayers  for  the  destruction  of  the  ene¬ 
my,  there  should  be  prayers  for  their  forgive¬ 
ness,  and  best  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare. 
Such  a  course  might  also  be  urged  as  likely  to 
afford  the  best  defence  against  a  hostile  power, 
and  as  tending  to  disarm  aggression. 

That  the  practice  of  war  is  any  other  than  a 
violation  of  this  duty,  none  will  venture  to 
assert.  So  far  from  even  permitting  an  obedi¬ 
ence  to  the  precept,  “  If  thine  enemy  hunger, 
feed  him ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink,”  it  de¬ 
nounces  and  shoots  as  traitors  those  who  are 
detected  in  giving  “aid  and  comfort”  to  the 


WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  GOSPEL. 


243 


enemy.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  conceive  of  a 
more  palpable  violation  of  this  duty  than  is 
afforded  in  sieges,  where  hunger  and  thirst  are 
often  made  the  chief  weapons  for  the  subduing 
of  cities. 

Y.  War  is  a  direct  violation  of  the  golden 
rule,  “All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that 

MEN  SHOULD  DO  TO  YOU,  DO  YE  EVEN  SO  TO 

them.”  Matt.  7:12. 

So  thoroughly  has  the  principle  of  selfishness 
become  inwoven  with  almost  all  national  inter¬ 
course,  that  this  obligation  has  seldom,  if  ever, 
been  recognized  by  governments.  Yet  it  is 
the  summary  of  national  as  well  as  individual 
duty.  We  need  not  pause  to  prove  that  the 
war  system  is  as  utterly  at  variance  with  the 
conduct  here  required,  as  it  is  with  the  spirit 
of  the  parallel  precept,  “  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.”  The  fact  is  so  plain  that 
probably  none  will  deny  it. 

With  regard  to  all  these  precepts,  it  is  per¬ 
haps  sufficient  to  have  shown  that  they  are 
applicable  to  nations.  This  fact  being  once 
admitted,  the  intelligent  reader  will  perceive 
at  a  glance  that  war  in  general  is  inconsistent 
with  the  requirements  of  the  gospel,  and  that 


244 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


a  war  spirit  is  precisely  the  opposite  of  a  Chris¬ 
tian  spirit. 

Let  us  contrast  them.  Compare  the  demands 
of  war,  as  most  commonly  originated  and  pros¬ 
ecuted,  with  those  of  Christianity.  Christ  says, 
“  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit/7  “  the  meek/7 
“the  merciful/7  “the  peacemakers/7  and  the 
“  persecuted  for  righteousness7  sake.77  War 
says,  “  Blessed  are  the  proud  in  spirit,  the  re¬ 
sentful,  the  unmerciful,  the  warlike,  and  those 
who  revenge  themselves  upon  their  revilers 
and  persecutors.77  Christ  says,  “  Whosoever  is 
angry  with  his  brother  without  a  cause,  shall 
be  in  danger  of  the  judgment.77  War  says, 
“  Whosoever  cherishes  not  anger  against  those 
whom  his  rulers  bid  him  hate,  is  a  traitor  and 
a  coward.77  Christ  says,  “Resist  not  evil;77 
“  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you, 
do  good  unto  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for 
them  which  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute 
you,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.77  War  says,  “  Resist  evil 
with  yet  greater  evil,  hate  and  kill  your  ene¬ 
mies,  curse  and  pray  against  them  that  curse 
and  persecute  you,  that  ye  may  be  patriotic 
subjects.77  Christ  says,  “  All  things  whatsoever 


WAR  TESTED  BY  THE  G-O^EL.  245 

ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even 
so  to  them/7  War  says,  “  All  evil  things  which 
men  do  to  you,  recompense  them  with  a  tenfold 
evil.77  The  whole  spirit  of  Christianity  incul¬ 
cates  the  duty  of  love ;  that  of  war  requires 
hatred.  The  one  demands  the  exercise  of  kind¬ 
ness.  forbearance,  and  forgiveness ;  the  other 
insists  upon  cruelty,  resentment,  and  revenge. 
The  one  requires  purity  of  heart  and  life ;  the 
other  stains  both  with  crime.  The  one  saves 
souls ;  the  other  destroys  them.  The  one  fits 
men  for  heaven ;  the  other  for  hell.  The  one 
looks  forward  to  a  reign  of  peace ;  the  other 
throws  obstacles  in  its  way,  and  perpetuates 
enmity  and  war.  The  one  is  from  God ;  the 
other  from  the  devil. 

War  then  is,  in  general,  unchristian.  It  is, 
as  we  have  seen,  unnecessary,  unreasonable, 
unjust,  inhuman,  inefficacious,  and  inglorious  ; 
but  its  worst  feature  is  this,  that  it  is  unchris¬ 
tian.  And  if  such  be  its  character,  is  it  not 
one  of  the  most  stupendous  iniquities  in  which 
men  can  engage  ?  If  an  evil  and  a  crime,  it  is 
an  enormous  evil,  and  a  glaring  crime.  Involv¬ 
ing  as  it  does  such  tremendous  interests,  its 
good  or  bad  results  must  be  of  proportionate 


246 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


importance.  As  its  results  are  in  most  cases 
only  evil ,  how  vast  must  be  that  evil !  No  hu¬ 
man  mind  can  fathom  it — only  the  eye  of  God 
can  behold  it  in  all  its  length  and  breadth. 
Yet  the  view  of  it  which  arrests  our  gaze  re¬ 
veals  enough  of  its  enormity  to  make  it  stand 
out  as,  comparatively,  the  greatest  sin  and 
direst  curse  that  has  ever  infested  the  world. 


ARBITRATION. 


247 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  WAR— ARBITRATION. 

It  has,  we  think,  been  shown  that  war  is  in 
general  the  wrong  way  of  adjusting  national 
differences.  Whether  there  be  any  other  mode 
of  securing  the  ends  proposed  by  it  or  not,  this 
one  is  clearly  condemned  by  both  reason  and 
revelation.  If,  then,  there  were  no  good  sub¬ 
stitute  for  it,  and  the  nations  must  either  suffer 
wrong  or  fight,  it  would  seem  as  if  they  should 
in  most  instances  embrace  the  suffering  as  the 
better  alternative.  Whether  the  remedy  which 
we  shall  now  propose  be  adequate  or  not,  we 
must  still  insist  that  war,  as  a  system,  ought  to 
be  none  the  less  speedily  and  decisively  abol¬ 
ished. 

To  suppose,  however,  that  there  is  no  remedy 
for  it,  would  be  as  derogatory  to  reason  and 
common-sense  as  to  the  moral  government  of 
God.  It  should  be  taken  for  granted ,  until  expe¬ 
rience  has  proved  to  the  contrary,  that  there  is 
a  better  way  of  solving  national  difficulties — 
a  way  more  consistent  with  our  character  as 


248 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


reasonable  beings,  and  with  our  duties  to  one 
another  and  to  God.  Where  the  right  spirit 
existed,  men  would  not  be  long  in  discovering 
this  Right  Way ;  and  means  would  soon  be 
found  which  should  harmonize  the  practice  of 
mutual  justice  with  that  of  mutual  love,  and 
apply  to  the  intercourse  of  nations  that  gospel 
which  so  happily  regulates  the  intercourse  of 
individuals.  The  necessity  of  such  a  means 
has  long  been  felt  by  Christians  and  philan¬ 
thropists.  Franklin  says,  “  We  daily  make 
great  improvements  in  natural  philosophy  j 
there  is  one  I  wish  to  see  in  morals — the  dis¬ 
covery  of  a  plan  that  would  induce  and  oblige 
nations  to  settle  their  disputes  without  first 
cutting  one  another’s  throats.  When  will  hu¬ 
man  reason  be  sufficiently  improved  to  see  the 
advantage  of  this  ?” 

Where  shall  such  a  plan  be  found  ?  The  par¬ 
allel  already  drawn  between  individuals  and 
nations  suggests  a  few  valuable  hints  upon  this 
subject.  A  man  who  deems  himself  injured 
rarely  resorts  to  physical  violence  for  redress, 
but  submits  his  grievances  to  a  jury  of  his  peers, 
who  endeavor  to  decide  upon  them  with  refer¬ 
ence  to  right  and  justice.  Why  may  not  nations 


ARBITRATION. 


249 


do  the  same  ?  Is  not  the  very  existence  of  laws 
in  civilized  communities  a  standing  rebuke  to 
the  lawless  violence  of  nations,  and  a  proof  that 
their  differences  may  be  adjusted  in  a  far  more 
righteous  manner  than  by  an  appeal  to  arms? 
Our  courts  of  justice  accomplish  for  individuals 
the  ends  that  are  professedly  aimed  at  by  na¬ 
tions  in  war.  They  therefore  point  out  a  simple 
and  obvious  substitute  for  war,  which  the  na¬ 
tions  would  do  well  to  adopt.  For  what  is 
there  to  prevent  the  reference  of  their  difficul¬ 
ties  to  a  jury  of  nations ,  through  their  represent¬ 
atives,  who  shall  pronounce  upon  them  an  im¬ 
partial  judgment?  Whether  such  jury  consist 
of  one,  two,  or  three,  chosen  by  the  parties 
themselves,  or  of  a  perpetual  court  instituted 
for  the  purpose,  it  would  assuredly  secure  the 
ends  of  justice  to  a  far  greater  degree  than  trial 
hy  battle. 

We  would  urge  as  the  most  simple,  and  in 
the  present  state  of  public  opinion,  most  prac¬ 
ticable  substitute  for  war,  arbitration.  By 
this  we  mean  the  submitting  of  national  diffi¬ 
culties  to  the  judgment  and  decision  of  one  or 
more  arbitrators,  or  umpires,  to  be  chosen  by 
the  parties  at  variance,  and  the  including  of  an 


250 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


article  to  that  effect  in  their  treaties  with  one 
another. 

This  plan  would  not  in  any  way  interfere 
with  well-timed  efforts  at  negotiation.  Indeed, 
that  step  should  always  be  resorted  to  in  the 
first  instance,  as  being  the  best  calculated,  when 
successful,  to  satisfy  both  parties.  The  fact 
that  the  next  and  final  remedy  is  arbitration, 
and  that  war  is  entirely  out  of  the  question, 
will  greatly  assist  their  efforts  at  a  mutual 
agreement.  When,  however,  this  first  and  most 
natural  means  has  failed,  let  the  two  parties 
feel  themselves  bound  by  a  solemn  written 
obligation,  to  submit  their  case  to  the  judgment 
of  one  or  more  f  riendly  powers,  and  to  abide  by  their 
verdict  as  a  final  one. 

This  is  no  new  mode  of  adjusting  differences, 
but  has  often  been  practised  by  individuals,  and 
occasionally  by  nations.  It  is  frequently  re¬ 
sorted  to  by  wise  and  Christian  men,  as  prefer¬ 
able  even  to  the  regular  course  of  law,  because 
avoiding  not  only  much  trouble  and  expense, 
but  also  much  of  that  bitterness  of  feeling 
which  is  too  often  engendered  by  litigation. 
Its  principle  is  the  same  with  that  of  trial  by 
jury — only  differing  from  it  in  this  respect,  that 


ARBITRATION. 


251 


it  allows  to  the  parties  employing  it  the  privi¬ 
lege  of  choosing  their  own  arbitrators.  Every 
trial  in  our  courts  of  justice  is  a  reference  of  a 
disputed  question  to  umpires  chosen  by  society. 
The  propriety  of  such  a  reference  is  evident. 
It  is  founded  upon  the  just  supposition  that  no 
man  is  qualified  to  judge  in  a  case  in  which 
his  own  interests  are  at  stake ;  and  that  none 
but  those  whose  minds  are  disinterested  and 
unbiased,  are  competent  to  award  to  it  a  right¬ 
eous  decision.  This  principle  is  equally  applicable 
to  nations.  Rulers  and  governments  are  also 
incapable  of  rightly  adjudicating  their  own 
controversies.  The  same  reasons,  therefore, 
which  demand  opportunities  for  reference  or 
legal  process  in  a  community  of  subjects,  also 
require  it  in  the  community  of  governments. 

If,  as  has  been  proved  from  the  highest  author- 

* 

ities,  nations  ought  to  be  “regarded  as  moral 
persons/7  and  as  “under  the  same  obliga¬ 
tions  that  are  binding  upon  individuals/7  then 
it  is  plainly  their  duty  to  adjust  their  disputes 
in  a  way  similar  to  that  employed  by  individ¬ 
uals. 

In  commendation  of  this  plan,  we  may  quote 
from  the  acknowledged  masters  of  international 


252 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


law.  Grotius ,  its  founder,  says,  “War  should 
never  be  declared  until  all  other  means  of  re¬ 
dress  have  been  faithfully  tried.”  Vattel  says, 
“  Nature  gives  us  no  right  to  have  recourse  to 
force,  but  where  mild  and  pacific  methods  are 
ineffectual.  When  sovereigns  cannot  agree 
about  their  pretensions,  they  sometimes  trust 
the  decision  of  their  disputes  to  arbitrators. 
This  method  is  very  reasonable,  and  very  con¬ 
formable  to  the  law  of  nature  in  determining 
differences  that  do  not  directly  interest  the 
safety  of  the  nation.  Though  the  strict  right 
may  be  mistaken  by  the  arbitrators ,  it  is  still  more 
to  be  feared  that  it  will  be  overwhelmed  by  the  fate 
of  arms.” 

This  practice  has  often  been  resorted  to  by 
nations  with  signal  success.  The  kings  of  Den¬ 
mark  and  Sweden  formerly  bound  themselves 
by  treaty  to  refer  to  one  another  the  differences 
which  might  arise  between  them  and  their  re¬ 
spective  senates.  “  The  princes  of  Neufchatel,” 
says  Vattel,  “established  in  1406  the  canton  of 
Berne  the  judge  and  perpetual  arbitrator  of 
their  disputes.  The  Swiss  have  had  the  pre¬ 
caution,  in  all  their  alliances  among  themselves, 
and  even  in  those  they  have  contracted  with 


ARBITRATION. 


253 


the  neighboring  powers,  to  agree  beforehand 
on  the  manner  in  which  their  disputes  were  to 
be  submitted  to  arbitrators,  in  case  they  could 
not  themselves  adjust  them  in  an  amicable  man¬ 
ner.  This  wise  precaution  has  not  a  little  con¬ 
tributed  to  maintain  the  Helvetic  republic  in 
that  flourishing  state  which  secures  its  liberty, 
and  renders  it  respectable  throughout  Europe.” 
France  and  Mexico  had  recourse  to  this  expe¬ 
dient  in  their  treaty  of  peace  in  1839.  Instead 
of  enforcing  their  respective  claims  for  alleged 
injuries,  they  mutually  agreed  to  refer  them  to 
the  arbitrament  of  a  third  power.  The  leading 
cabinets  of  Europe  have,  of  late  years,  employed 
it  with  much  success.  Our  own  government 
has  referred  three  of  its  disputes  to  as  many 
European  sovereigns.  A  question  relating  to 
the  interpretation  of  our  last  treaty  of  peace 
with  Great  Britain  was  referred  to  the  emperor 
of  Russia;  that  concerning  our  North-eastern 
boundary,  to  the  king  of  the  Netherlands  ;  and 
certain  difficulties  with  Mexico,  to  the  king  of 
Prussia.  Having  been  successful  upon  almost 
every  occasion,  this  plan  is  now  regarded  with 
much  favor  by  civilized  nations ;  and  it  seems 
only  requisite  that  it  be  formally  incorporated 


254 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


in  all  national  treaties,  in  order  to  secure  its 
universal  adoption. 

W e  urge  its  incorporation  in  articles  of  treaty , 
because  it  is  only  by  such  means  that  it  can  be 
made  obligatory,  and  become  an  established 
system.  Any  substitute  for  war,  in  order  to  be 
successful,  must  be  agreed  upon,  and  made  a 
matter  of  solemn,  deliberate  compact  in  time  of 
peace.  Nations,  like  individuals,  are  not  in  a 
fit  condition  to  see  clearly  and  select  the  right, 
when  their  passions  are  aroused  by  controversy ; 
and  it  is  therefore  not  safe  to  rely  upon  their 
then  resorting  to  a  means  of  reconciliation,  to 
which,  in  hours  of  calmness  and  kind  feeling, 
they  might  willingly  pledge  themselves.  Such 
an  article  as  we  recommend  would  anticipate 
whatever  difficulties  might  afterwards  occur, 
and  provide  beforehand  for  their  amicable  set¬ 
tlement. 

To  this  plan  there  can  be  opposed  no  reason¬ 
able  objection,  while  there  is  much  that  can  be 
said  in  its  favor.  The  difficulty  may  occur  to 
some  minds  that  the  treatv  mmlit  be  violated, 
and  that  there  is  then  no  force  to  compel  its  ful¬ 
filment.  W e  reply,  all  other  treaties  are  equally 
liable  to  be  broken,  but  is  that  fact  deemed  a 


ARBITRATION. 


255 


sufficient  reason  for  not  forming  them?  While, 
however,  the  abolition  of  war  might  seem  to 
take  away  the  means  of  enforcing  this  compact, 
there  would  yet  remain  a  power  mightier  than 
resides  in  any  army — that  of  public  opinion. 
This  is  a  force  which  is  often  overlooked,  yet 
one  that  is  possessed  of  an  almost  irresistible, 
and  growing  efficacy.  The  common  sentiment 
of  the  people,  having  been  at  first  manifested  in 
demanding  this  pledge  of  peace,  would  also 
make  itself  heard  and  obeyed  in  the  work  of 
maintaining  it  inviolate.  The  nation  that 
should  so  break  its  plighted  faith  as  not  to  ful¬ 
fil  and  abide  by  such  a  contract,  would  probably 
be  branded  with  ignominy,  and  made  a  mark 
for  the  scorn  and  contempt  of  every  other  na¬ 
tion.  Besides,  if  this  plan  should  once  be  gen¬ 
erally  adopted,  the  blessings  of  peace  would  be 
too  highly  appreciated  by  the  masses  of  the 
people  to  allow  of  their  being  lightly  perilled ; 
and  every  government  would  feel  itself  inter¬ 
ested  in  punishing  in  some  peaceful,  yet  effective 
manner,  the  nation  that  should  dare  violate  this 
principle  of  international  law. 

If,  however,  for  any  reason  not  yet  discerni¬ 
ble,  this  plan  should  prove  unsuccessful,  those 


256 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


animated  by  the  proper  spirit  might  devise 
some  other  mode  which  should  accomplish  so 
desirable  an  object.  The  formation  of  a  con¬ 
gress  of  nations,  or  a  perpetual  court,  composed 
of  representatives  from  every  government,  has 
been  proposed  and  ably  advocated.  The  preva¬ 
lence  of  right  feelings  throughout  Christendom 
would  render  this  plan  a  feasible  one,  and  secure 
to  every  aggrieved  nation  the  privilege  of  an 
impartial  trial  upon  principles  of  law  and  equity. 
Surely  one  or  the  other  of  these  means,  or  both 
united,  or  some  other  yet  to  be  devised,  can  be 
adopted  as  the  Right  Way  of  conducting  the  in¬ 
tercourse  of  nations. 

The  advantages  of  some  such  course  over  the 
one  commonly  resorted  to,  are  obvious.  It 
would  secure  the  administration  of  a  far  higher 
degree  of  justice  than  is  gained  by  war,  and 
probably  as  high  a  degree  as  can  be  attained 
among  men.  It  would  prevent  those  gross 
oppressions  which  are  so  often  practised  by 
strong  nations.  It  would  afford  a  security  to 
the  defenceless,  and  guarantee  them  such  a 
redress  for  injuries  as  could  be  obtained  by  no 
other  means.  It  would  maintain  the  indepen¬ 
dence  of  nations,  by  affording  a  check  to  am- 


ARBITRATION. 


257 


bitious  schemes  of  conquest  and  aggrandize¬ 
ment.  It  would  substitute  reason  for  passion, 
kindness  for  cruelty,  courtesy  and  honorable 
consideration  for  ruffian  brutality  and  bloody 
violence,  the  supremacy  of  mind  for  that  of 
physical  force,  and  of  right  for  wrong.  It 
would,  in  averting  war,  avert  many  of  the  dir¬ 
est  evils  that  have  afflicted  mankind,  and  in 
securing  perpetual  peace,  secure  a  perpetual 
train  of  blessings. 

In  bringing  about  these  desirable  results, 
some  nation  must  take  the  lead .  So  vast  a  change 
as  the  one  proposed  cannot  be  accomplished  in 
a  day,  nor  by  a  simultaneous  effort  throughout 
Christendom.  As  in  every  other  great  reform, 
so  in  this,  some  one  must  dare  to  be  singular, 
and  stand  boldly  forth  as  its  advocate.  Every 
circumstance  points  to  America  as  the  best 
qualified  to  take  the  initiatory  step  in  this 
grand  work.  Powerful  and  respected,  her 
strength  and  influence  would  command  the 
attention  of  the  world  towards  any  course  upon 
which  she  might  enter.  Possessed  of  ample 
territories  and  immeasurable  resources,  she  has 
nothing  to  gain,  and  every  thing  to  lose  by  war. 
Exempted  by  her  position  from  hostile  attacks, 

17 


Righf  Way 


258 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


she  would  incur  no  apparent  risk  by  setting  the 
example  of  a  peaceful  policy.  A  “  model  repub¬ 
lic/7  she  may,  by  spurning  the  control  of  the 
tyrant  war,  become  a  model  of  the  most  com¬ 
plete  civil  freedom.  A  nation  eminently  Chris¬ 
tian,  both  consistency  and  the  voice  of  public 
sentiment  demand  that  she  prove  her  high 
Christian  character  by  conforming  to  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  Jesus.  May  we  not  hope  that  among 
the  providential  designs  of  which  she  is  to  be 
the  honored  instrument,  this  one  has  its  place ; 
and  that  to  her  it  may  be  given  first  to  sound 
abroad  the  call  that  shall  summon  all  nations 
to  the  approaching  brotherhood  of  man? 

Honored  indeed  will  be  that  government  to 
which  this  signal  privilege  shall  be  assigned. 
No  nation  has  yet  attained  such  a  height  of  gran¬ 
deur  as  will  attach  to  that  one  which  shall  be 
the  first  to  propose  and  carry  out  a  plan  for 
the  abolition  of  war.  The  time  is  coming — 
and  the  present  state  of  public  opinion  indicates 
that  it  may  not  be  far  distant — when  that  nation 
shall  be  esteemed  the  most  glorious,  which  has 
dared  to  go  forth  as  pioneer  in  the  path  of  uni¬ 
versal  peace.  It  will  receive  the  plaudits  of 
men  and  angels,  and  its  name  will  be  repeated 


ARBITRATION. 


259 


with  joy  and  gratitude  by  coming  generations. 
To  have  been  the  first  to  propose  and  effect* 
ually  carry  out  a  scheme  for  staying  the  effm 
sion  of  human  blood,  will  be  a  far  higher  honor 
to  any  land  than  for  an  individual  to  have  dis¬ 
covered  a  continent,  first  floated  a  steam-boat, 
or  made  the  lightning  subservient  to  human 
agency.  Upon  such  a  nation  will  be  breathed 
the  heavenly  benediction,  “  Blessed  are  the  peace¬ 
makers  ;  for  they  shall  he  called  the  children  of 
God” 

Those  rulers  who  are  far-sighted,  and  who 
note  the  signs  of  the  times  and  the  promises  of 
God’s  word,  should  hasten  to  secure  this  honor 
and  this  blessing;  and  the  only  strife  among 
them  should  be,  which  shall  stand  foremost  as 
the  champion  of  humanity,  and  first  enroll  his 
name  on  that  new  scroll  of  renown  which  is  to 
be  written,  not  with  tears  and  blood,  but  with 
the  finger  of  truth  and  love.  Those  patriots 
who  best  love  their  country,  and  desire  its  last¬ 
ing  honor  and  prosperity,  should  vie  in  holy 
emulation  to  secure  for  it  this  true  glory,  and 
thus  invoke  in  its  behalf  the  blessings  of  God 
and  men. 


260 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


CHAPTER  XI Y. 

THE  BLESSING-S  OF  PEACE  — THE  MEANS  OF 

SECURING  IT. 

In  advocating  the  importance  of  peace,  we 
would  add  to  the  consideration  of  duty,  already 
urged,  that  of  interest.  Let  us  contemplate 
some  of  its  more  prominent  blessings,  and  behold 
in  each  of  them  a  powerful  motive  for  securing 
it.  We  have  seen  a  dim  outline  of  the  evils  of 
war  ;  and  the  view  of  its  monstrous  horrors  has 
thrilled  us  with  grief  and  indignation.  As  we 
now  look  upon  the  opposite  picture,  let  its  love¬ 
ly  attractions  win  upon  our  hearts,  and  inspire 
glowing  desires  for  its  full  and  permanent  real¬ 
ization. 

*  * 

Contrast  some  of  the  principal  features  of 
each.  Is  war  an  incalculable  waste  of  property  ? 
In  peace  the  resources  of  the  nation  are  allow¬ 
ed  to  flow  in  their  legitimate  and  healthful 
channels ;  public  and  private  enterprise  is  per¬ 
mitted  the  widest  scope  of  operation ;  and  cap¬ 
ital  remains  undiverted  from  its  proper  spheres. 


BLESSINGS  OF  PEACE. 


261 


Men  are  not  then  drawn  from  fields  of  labor  to 
those  of  battle ;  but  the  strong  arms  which  in 
war  must  grasp  the  musket,  wield  in  peace  the 
hammer  and  the  plough,  and  contribute  to  the 
common  prosperity.  The  energy  of  business  is 
unimpeded ;  wealth  is  accumulated ;  employ¬ 
ment  is  furnished  for  all,  and  the  nation  is  com¬ 
paratively  prosperous.  Then,  too,  beneficence 
abounds.  Much  of  the  money  which,  in  war, 
wrould  have  been  worse  than  wasted,  is  in  peace 
bestowed  upon  the  needy  and  the  wretched. 
Instead  of  being  used  for  the  infliction  of  suffer¬ 
ing  and  death,  it  goes  to  relieve  and  cheer  the 
sons  of  want.  New  plans  of  philanthropic 
benevolence  are  devised  and  carried  out ;  the 
schemes  of  Christian  enterprise  are  sustained ; 
Bibles  and  tracts  are  circulated ;  the  cause  of 
missions  is  aided  and  carried  forward,  and  every 
other  effort  for  the  world’s  evangelization  meets 
with  a  hearty  and  liberal  support.  The  experi¬ 
ence  of  the  thirty-nine  years  of  general  peace 
between  the  years  1815  and  1854,  affords  a 
striking  exhibition  of  this  fact.  During  that 
period,  most  of  the  benevolent  societies  which 
are  the  pride  and  glory  of  Britain  and  America 
were  established ;  and  their  constant  and  in- 


262 


THE  RIGHT  WAY- 


creasing  success  is  a  signal  proof  of  the  bless¬ 
ings  of  peace  in  this  respect. 

Does  war  produce  a  disastrous  wreck  of  vir¬ 
tue  and  morality  ?  Peace,  on  the  contrary,  is 
highly  favorable  to  them  both.  It  not  only 
avoids  that  deluge  of  vice  and  crime  which 
floods  a  warring  nation,  but  it  is  an  important 
auxiliary  to  the  growth  of  vital  piety.  Being 
itself  an  indispensable  fruit  of  pure  Christian¬ 
ity,  it  aids  greatly  in  the  cultivation  of  all  its 
other  fruits.  Then  Sabbaths  are  more  honored, 
and  sanctuaries  more  thronged ;  the  “  church¬ 
going  bell  ”  is  oftener  heard  and  heeded  ;  and 
the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  goes  up  from 
calm,  peaceful  hearts  with  greater  fervor,  and 
a  greater  likelihood  of  the  divine  acceptance. 
The  nation  being,  in  this  respect  at  least,  in  the 
path  of  religious  duty,  its  subjects  may  the  more 
hopefully  toil  and  pray  for  men’s  conversion. 
The  whole  system  of  the  divine  government 
assures  us  that  it  is  at  such  times,  if  ever,  that 
God  will  largely  pour  out  his  Spirit  upon  the 
churches.  When  we  say  that  the  revival  of 
religion  and  the  salvation  of  souls  are  among 
the  blessings  that  pertain  peculiarly  to  a  state 
of  peace,  do  we  not  say  enough  to  enlist  the 


BLESSINGS  OF  PEACE. 


263 


sympathies  and  prayers  and  labors  of  all  Chris¬ 
tians  in  the  work  of  securing  it,  and  rendering 
it  permanent  ? 

Is  war  the  destruction  of  much  domestic  happi¬ 
ness — the  rending  of  many  precious  ties  ?  Peace, 
on  the  contrary,  preserves  and  augments  the 
joys  of  every  happy  home.  Like  a  guardian 
spirit,  it  presides  over  the  humble  cot  and  the 
lordly  mansion,  and  permits  no  rude  call  of 
martial  authority  to  summon  its  beloved  in¬ 
mates  to  destruction.  The  pure  delights  of  the 
domestic  hearth  are  invaded  by  no  brutal  sun¬ 
dering  of  fond  connections  ;  and  no  murderous 
whims  of  tyrants  are  allowed  to  fill  the  homes 
of  the  land  with  widowhood  and  orphanage. 
The  pride  and  strength  of  the  family  circle  toils 
cheerily  on  in  his  round  of  pleasant  labor  ;  and 
whatever  else  may  cast  a  shadow  on  his  heart, 
he  feels  that  his  country  is  the  protection  and 
defence  of  his  elevated  joys,  and  not  their 
destruction;  and  that  his  patriotism  does  not 
require  him  to  become  a  traitor  to  himself  and 
those  dependent  upon  him. 

In  like  manner,  peace  is  a  guardian  of  every 
thing  that  constitutes  a  happy  nation.  It  is  to 
a  great  degree  the  security  of  its  blessings,  and 


264 


THE  RIGHT  W AY. 


the  pledge  of  their  continuance.  There  is 
hardly  any  interest  of  either  governments  or 
individuals  to  which  it  is  not  a  necessary  safe¬ 
guard.  Various  and  conflicting  as  they  may 
be,  they  alike  depend  upon  this  for  their  pro¬ 
tection.  It  is  like  one  of  those  great  walls 
which  surrounded  ancient  cities.  However 
different  may  have  been  the  interests  of  the 
inhabitants,  all  felt  that  they  would  be  put  in 
peril  if  that  bulwark  were  cast  down.  Thus 
peace  engirdles  the  nation ;  and  however  vari¬ 
ous  and  even  opposite  may  be  the  interests  of 
its  citizens,  they  would  alike  be  made  insecure 
the  moment  this  wall  of  defence  should  fail 
them. 

How  beautiful,  then,  the  spectacle  presented 
by  that  land  which  is  habitually  at  peace  with 
all  the  world!  See  the  thriving  cities,  towns, 
and  villages,  in  which  the  hum  of  business,  the 
clanking  of  manufactures,  and  the  familiar 
sights  and  sounds  of  successful  industry  every¬ 
where  prevail.  See  the  fields  waving  with  the 
rich  products  of  the  soil — the  garners  teeming 
bountifully  with  food  for  man  and  beast — the 
harbors  crowded  with  vessels,  which  bring  their 
tributes  of  wealth  and  comfort  from  every  land — • 


BLESSINGS  OF  PEACE. 


265 


the  smiling  homes  and  firesides — the  farmer 
singing  at  his  plough,  and  the  mechanic  at  his 
work.  See  the  pervading  life  and  energy 
which  infuses  itself  into  every  department  of 
human  effort — the  arts  and  sciences  flourish¬ 
ing — education  more  and  more  widely  extend¬ 
ed — men  running  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge 
increased — the  sphere  of  Christian  activity  en¬ 
larged — new  churches  built — missions  and  Sab¬ 
bath-schools  planted  in  destitute  places — preach¬ 
ers  and  colporteurs  sent  forth  to  possess  the 
land  for  Christ — the  gospel  acquiring  daily  new 
trophies  to  its  divine  power,  and  truth  achiev¬ 
ing  new  victories  over  error.  Souls  which  might 
have  been  hardened  and  destroyed  by  the  influ¬ 
ences  of  war,  are,  under  the  mild  reign  of  peace, 
rendered  susceptible  to  the  appeals  of  the  pul¬ 
pit  and  press,  and  instead  of  swelling  the  num¬ 
ber  of  God’s  enemies,  go  to  augment  the  army 
of  his  followers.  Many  a  prodigal  returns  to  his 
Father’s  house,  and  many  a  lost  one  is  found. 
The  church  rejoices  in  an  increase  of  her  strength, 
and  there  is  “joy  in  heaven  among  the  angels  of 
God”  over  repenting  sinners.  The  heavenly 
hope  finds  readier  access  to  human  hearts — souls 
are  saved,  and  God  is  glorified. 


266 


THE  RIOHT  WAY. 


Nor  is  this  all.  The  abounding  life  and  exu¬ 
berant  sympathy  of  God’s  people  will  not,  in 
time  of  peace,  be  confined  to  the  narrow  limits 
of  a  country  or  a  continent,  but  overflow  all 
boundaries,  and  baptize  distant  nations  with 
the  waters  of  life.  As  war  impedes  our  efforts 
for  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  so  peace  encour¬ 
ages  them,  and  enables  the  church  to  extend 
the  circling  ripples  of  her  influence  far  and  wide, 
until  they  embrace  the  globe  itself.  Peace 
places  in  our  hands  the  means ;  peace  affords 
opportunities  for  employing  them  to  advantage  ; 
peace  wafts  the  missionary  across  the  seas; 
peace  casts  down  the  walls  of  prejudice,  and 
secures  a  ready  access  to  the  homes  and  hearts 
of  the  heathen;  peace  sustains  him  there,  and 
provides  the  bread  of  life  for  millions  of  famish¬ 
ing  souls,  and  with  the  Bibles  which  it  prints, 
affords  a  practical  and  convincing  commentary 
upon  its  truths  ;  peace  affords  the  sinews  which 
God  strengthens  for  the  demolition  of  Satan’s 
kingdom ;  peace  supplies,  sustains,  and  cooper¬ 
ates  with  many  of  those  forces  which,  under 
God,  are  to  evangelize  the  world,  and  inaugu¬ 
rate  the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  peace. 

We  do  not  affirm  that  the  universal  preva- 


BLESSINGS  OF  PEACE. 


267 


lence  of  peace  would,  of  itself  alone,  secure  all 
these  blessings.  No,  “the  word  of  God  only, 
the  grace  of  Christ  only,  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
only/7  are  the  hope  of  the  nation,  the  church, 
and  the  world.  Yet  the  very  letter  of  that 
word,  the  character  of  that  grace,  and  the 
known  operations  of  that  Spirit,  assure  us  that 
if  ever  these  blessings  are  to  be  looked  for,  it 
is  in  times  of  peace ;  and  that,  other  things 
being  equal,  the  reign  of  peace  will  go  far 
towards  securing  the  reign  of  happiness  and 
righteousness. 

“But  how/7  it  may  be  asked,  “is  peace  to  be 
rendered  permanent?  Acknowledging,  as  every 
reasonable  mind  must,  its  value,  and  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  retaining  it,  what  can  we  do  towards 
securing  so  desirable  an  object?  We  believe 
that  peace  shall  prevail  in  the  earth,  but  it  is  to 
be  in  the  coming  millennium.  Then  God  will 
cause  wars  to  cease,  but  ive  cannot  accomplish 
so  stupendous  a  change.77 

It  is  probably  to  the  prevalence  of  this  view 
of  the  subject  that  we  must  attribute  much  of 
the  present  lethargy  in  regard  to  it.  Many 
Christians  are  appalled  by  the  very  magnitude 
of  this  blessing,  and  lose  sight  of  their  duty  in 


268 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


the  difficulties  which  seemingly  attend  it.  Upon 
this  principle,  however,  we  might  sit  with  fold¬ 
ed  hands  and  put  forth  no  effort  for  the  good 
of  men.  With  at  least  equal  justice  we  might 
say,  “  God  only  can  convert  souls,  and  we  will 
therefore  cease  to  labor  for  that  end.  Idolatry 
will  not  be  wholly  abolished  until  the  millen¬ 
nium  ;  of  what  avail  are  all  our  efforts  against 
it?”  Happily,  however,  Christians  do  not  rea¬ 
son  thus  upon  most  other  subjects.  They  gen¬ 
erally  acknowledge  that  the  divine  promises 
are  to  be  fulfilled  by  the  divine  blessing  upon  hu¬ 
man  effort.  This  view  is  a  correct  one,  and  is 
proved  true  by  experience.  The  cause  of  mis¬ 
sions  was  undertaken,  and  is  now  prosecuted, 
under  this  belief;  and  its  extraordinary  suc¬ 
cess,  when  contrasted  with  the  comparatively 
feeble  efforts  yet  put  forth,  attests  the  power  of 
Christian  effort,  when  exerted  wisely,  and  in 
conformity  to  the  divine  precepts  and  promises. 
It  was  thus  that  the  gospel  was  first  published 
in  the  earth ;  it  was  thus  that  the  church  was 
revived  in  the  sixteenth  century  ;  and  it  is  thus 
that  the  last  great  revival  of  God’s  work,  in 
which  he  shall  pour  out  his  Spirit  upon  all  flesh, 
is  to  be  introduced. 


BLESSINGS  OF  PEACE. 


269 


In  1783  six  humble  and  obscure,  yet  noble 
men,  without  political  influence,  but  possessed 
of  earnest  philanthropy  and  strong  faith  in  God, 
met  in  London  to  devise  means  for  abolishing 
the  African  slave-trade.  As  the  result  of  the 
agencies  commenced  by  them,  that  infamous 
traffic  was,  twenty-four  years  afterwards,  abol¬ 
ished  by  Great  Britain,  and  is  at  this  day  for¬ 
bidden  by  every  Christian  nation.  Many  of 
the  readers  of  this  volume  can  recollect  when 
intemperance  raged,  a  moral  plague,  throughout 
our  country  and  the  world.  A  small  band  of 
men,  moved  with  love  and  pity  for  their  race, 
put  forth  their  hands  to  stay  the  curse.  By 
God’s  blessing  upon  their  special  efforts ,  results 
have  been  gained  of  which  it  is  probable  that 
the  most  hopeful  of  them  never  dreamed.  Tem¬ 
perance  societies  have  sprung  up  in  swift  suc¬ 
cession  in  every  section  of  our  country,  and  in 
many  parts  of  Europe,  while  that  cause  has  be¬ 
come  the  subject  of  legislation  in  several  of  our 
states ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  many 
thousands  of  our  fellow-beings  have  been  res¬ 
cued  from  this  degrading  vice  in  consequence 
of  the  labors  of  a  few  earnest  men ,  wisely  directed 
towards  this  specif  c  object. 


270 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


It  is  by  similar  means  that  war  is  to  be  abolished. 
We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  it  will  be 
removed  by  a  miracle,  or  by  any  other  than 
ordinary  human  instrumentalities.  There  is, 
on  the  contrary,  every  reason  to  believe  that 
God  will  honor  his  church  with  the  privilege  of 
bringing  about  this,  as  well  as  every  other  tri¬ 
umph  of  the  gospel.  Indeed,  he  has  already 
employed  the  peace  societies  of  Great  Britain 
and  America  in  accomplishing  much  towards 
that  triumph.  In  testimony  of  this,  we  may 
refer  to  one  of  America’s  ablest  statesmen,  John 
Quincy  Adams ,  who  publicly  ascribed  our  escape 
from  war  with  Mexico,  in  1838,  to  the  efforts 
of  peace  societies.  We  are  warranted  in  the 
conviction  that  a  yet  larger  blessing  awaits 
them  in  the  future.  All  that  is  required  is  ear¬ 
nest,  judicious,  prayerful,  united  effort ,  and  the 
work  will  be  done.  Let  the  church  enter  upon 
it  with  that  zeal  which  has  characterized  her 
Bible,  tract,  and  missionary  enterprises,  and 
success  is  certain.  Let  her  become  one  vast 
peace  society  ;  and  let  all  denominations  of 
evangelical  Christians  unite  upon  this  subject, 
as  upon  a  common  platform,  and  make  this  cause 
one  of  those  delightful  ties  by  which  they  are 


BLESSING'S  OF  PEACE. 


271 


fast  becoming  joined  in  the  spirit  of  Christ.  It 
will  be  to  all  a  most  desirable  union,  for  what 
can  tend  more  powerfully  to  the  cessation  of 
their  often  bitter  and  unprofitable  controversies, 
than  a  common  effort  towards  abolishing  strife 
among  others?  Will  they  not,  in  promoting 
the  peace  of  nations,  best  foster  itllmong  them¬ 
selves,  and  find  in  their  labors  a  fulfilment  of 
the  promise,  “  He  that  watereth,  shall  be  watered 
also  himself?” 

The  kind  of  effort  to  be  employed,  is  readily 
suggested  by  the  experience  of  every  successful, 
moral  and  religious  enterprise.  The  means  are 
at  hand,  and  it  only  remains  that  they  be  dili¬ 
gently  improved.  First  of  all,  let  every  pious 
heart  aim  at  becoming  itself  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  principles  of  the  gospel.  Let  Chris¬ 
tians  reflect  upon  the  duty  of  maintaining  both 
national  and  individual  peace  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  let  them  cherish  the  confident  expectation, 
warranted  by  the  word  of  prophecy,  that  peace 
shall  prevail.  Then  let  the  ordinary  methods  of 
influencing  public  opinion  be  perseveringly  em¬ 
ployed.  Let  the  press  be  enlisted  in  the  work, 
and  carry  cogent  arguments  and  stirring  ap¬ 
peals  to  many  minds.  Let  as  many  as  possible 


272 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


of  our  three  thousand  periodicals  plead  the 
cause  of  religion  and  humanity  with  their  read¬ 
ers.  Let  tracts  be  scattered  on  the  four  winds 
of  heaven,  and  enforce,  by  every  consideration 
of  duty  and  interest,  this  momentous  subject. 
And  while  the  eye  is  thus  reached,  let  the  ear 
be  saluted  #ith  the  same  pleas.  Let  the  sanc¬ 
tuary  resound  with  it,  and  the  eloquence  of  the 
forty  thousand  pulpits  of  our  land  be  brought 
to  bear  upon  this  theme,  which  is  so  worthy  of 
its  highest  efforts.  Let  the  popular  lecturer 
adopt  it  for  his  subject,  and  the  Christian  states¬ 
man,  as  one  from  which  he  cannot  withhold  his 
voice.  Let  Christians  converse  upon  it  with 
one  another,  and  become  each  an  apostle  of 
peace  to  his  neighbor.  Let  all  pious  influences 
thus  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  work,  and  no 
effort  spared  which  can  in  any  way  assist  it. 

Who  can  doubt  as  to  what  would  be  the 
inevitable  result  of  such  efforts?  They  would 
rapidly  mould  public  opinion,  open  the  eyes  of 
the  intelligent  and  candid  of  our  nation  to  the 
evils  of  war  and  the  importance  of  uninterrupt¬ 
ed  peace,  and  few  years  would  elapse  before 
this  Christian  people  would  unitedly  demand 
that  there  be  no  more  war.  The  voice  of  the 


BLESSINCxS  OF  PEACE..  273 

nation  would  utter  itself  with  a  force  which  no 
ruler  would  dare  resist,  and  the  general  senti¬ 
ment  of  the  people  would  be  made  the  law  of  the 
land.  Our  legislators  would  not  be  slow  in 
discovering  the  proper  substitute  for  war,  and 
whatever  course  might  be  pursued  by  other 
nations,  this  one  would  “not  learn  war  any 
more.”  Nor  would  the  effect  of  these  special 
efforts,  put  forth  by  American  Christians,  end 
here.  This  nation  would  then  utter  its  voice 
to  others,  and  by  means  of  faithful  and  repeated 
efforts,  would  probably  induce  them  to  join 
with  it  in  determining  some  plan  of  arbitration 
which  should  for  ever  stay  the  flow  of  human  * 
blood ;  and  what  would  there  then  he  to  prevent 
the  reign  of  peace  on  earth  ? 

These  views  may  appear  chimerical  to  some, 
but  we  believe  them  to  be  founded  in  reason 
and  good  sense,  and  justified  by  both  experi¬ 
ence  and  prophecy.  They  will  not,  indeed,  be 
realized  by  means  of  any  slight,  partial  en¬ 
deavors.  Their  fulfilment  will  require  the 
exercise  of  our  united,  prayerful  energies  ;  and 
until  these  are  afforded,  we  must  remain  liable 
at  any  moment  to  be  plunged  into  war.  But 
we  repeat,  let  such  special  efforts  as  have  been 

Right  Way  18 


274 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


described,  or  even  a  tithe  of  them,  be  made, 
and  if  there  is  any  connection  between  cause 
and  effect,  or  the  means  and  the  end — if  there 
is  truth  in  experience,  and  certainty  in  the 
word  of  God,  the  blessings  of  peace  may  soon 
be  secured  for  our  nation,  and  at  no  distant 
day  made  prevalent  throughout  the  globe. 


TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


275 


CHAPTER  XT. 

THE  FUTURE  TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 

Those  who  toil  and  pray  in  this  noble  cause 
may  be  animated  with  the  certainty  of  success. 
Their  labors  will  be  no  mere  doubtful  experi¬ 
ment,  but  the  accomplishment  of  the  world's 
divinely  appointed  destiny.  In  addition  to  all 
the  motives  drawn  from  the  past  and  present, 
a  most  sublime  one  is  afforded  by  the  predicted 
future.  The  Christian  knows  that  the  goal  of 
universal  peace  is  no  imaginary  one.  It  stands 
out  distinctly  before  him,  painted  by  the  finger 
of  eternal  truth,  a  blissful,  glowing  reality. 
Whatever  obstacles  may  lie  in  the  way,  that 
goal  shall  be  reached.  This  is  as  certain  as 
that  idolatry  shall  cease,  and  the  gospel  tri¬ 
umph  throughout  the  world.  The  same  word 
of  God  which  assures  us  of  the  one,  foretells 
the  other.  The  same  almighty  truth  and  power 
that  are  pledged  for  the  one,  are  pledged  for 
the  other. 

Indeed,  the  two  are  so  intimately  connected, 
that  we  might  infer  the  prevalence  of  peace 


276 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


from  the  promised  prevalence  of  gospel  truth. 
It  is  impossible  that  the  precepts  of  the  Bible 
should  be  generally  received  and  obeyed,  with¬ 
out  causing  wars  to  cease  ;  impossible  that  the 
earth  should  be  “  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord,’7  without  being  full  of  love  and  harmony ; 
impossible  that  “all  nations77  should  “serve 
him,77  and  yet  any  so  palpably  disobey  him  as 
to  engage  in  war ;  and  impossible  that  Jesus 
should  have  “  dominion  from  sea  to  sea,77  and  yet 
men  remain  under  the  dominion  of  hateful  and 
wicked  passions.  If  “  every  knee  shall  bow 77 
to  Christ,  if  the  Son  shall  have  the  heathen  for 
his  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  his  possession,  and  if  “the  Lord  shall 
be  king  over  all  the  earth,77  then  it  cannot  be 
doubted  for  an  instant  that  peace  shall  prevail. 

We  are  not  left,  however,  merely  to  infer 
this  sublime  truth.  Among  the  future  blessings 
to  our  race  foretold  by  prophecy,  this  one 
stands  out  in  bold  relief.  It  is  a  theme  upon 
which  the  pen  of  inspiration  loved  to  linger. 
The  Holy  Spirit  has  invested  it  with  the  most 
attractive  imagery,  and  painted  it  in  glowing 
hues  upon  the  scroll  of  this  world’s  destiny. 
“  The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and 


TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


277 


the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid  ;  and 
the  calf,  and  the  young  lionT  and  the  fatling 
together ;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them. 
They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy 
mountain  ;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea.”  Isaiah  11  : 6,  9.  ‘‘  And  in  that  day 

will  I  make  a  covenant  for  them  with  the  beasts 
of  the  field,  and  with  the  fowls  of  heaven,  and 
with  the  creeping  things  of  the  ground  :  and  I 
will  break  the  bow  and  the  sword  and  the  bat¬ 
tle  out  of  the  earth,  and  will  make  them  to  lie 
down  safely.77  Hosea  2  : 18.  “He  maketh  wars 
to  cease  unto  the  end  of  the  earth  ;  he  breaketh 
the  bow,  and  cutteth  the  spear  in  sunder ;  he 
burnetii  the  chariot  in  the  fire.77  Psa.  46:9. 
“  And  I  will  cut  off  the  chariot  from  Ephraim, 
and  the  horse  from  Jerusalem,  and  the  battle- 
bow  shall  be  cut  off :  and  he  shall  speak  peace 
unto  the  heathen :  and  his  dominion  shall  be 
from  sea  even  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  even 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth.77  Zech.  9  : 10.  “And 
the  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace  ;  and 
the  effect  of  righteousness,  quietness  and  assur¬ 
ance  for  ever.  And  my  people  shall  dwell  in 
a  peaceable  habitation,  and  in  sure  dwellings, 


278 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


and  in  quiet  resting-places.' ”  Isaiah  32  : 17,  18. 
“  The  mountains  shall  bring  peace  to  the  peo¬ 
ple,  and  the  little  hills,  by  righteousness.  In 
his  days  shall  the  righteous  flourish  ;  and  abun¬ 
dance  of  peace  so  long  as  the  moon  endureth.” 
Psa.  72:3,  7.  “For  ye  shall  go  out  with  joy, 
and  be  led  forth  with  peace.’7  Isaiah  55:12. 
“And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days, 
that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord’s  house  shall  be 
established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and 
shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills ;  and  all  na¬ 
tions  shall  flow  unto  it.  And  they  shall  beat 
their  swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears 
into  pruning-hooks :  nation  shall  not  lift  up 
sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn 
war  any  more.”  Isaiah  2  :  2,  4. 

What  an  enchanting  prospect  is  here  opened 
to  the  eye  of  Christian  faith !  Gladly  we  turn 
our  gaze  from  scenes  of  strife  and  slaughter,  to 
those  of  love  and  peace  by  which  they  shall  be 
succeeded ;  and  refresh  our  minds  with  the 
contemplation  of  that  bright  era  when  there 
shall  be  “  on  earth ,  peace.”  We  have  beheld  the 
ravages  of  war,  and  the  view  of  its  terrible 
havoc  has  prompted  the  inquiry,  “Shall  the 
sword  devour  for  ever?”  We  scan  the  narrow 


TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


279 


horizon  of  earth  for  a  reply,  but  the  question 
comes  back  upon  the  aching  heart  unanswered  ; 
and  only  its  echo  salutes  the  ear,  mockingly 
shouting  in  the  din  and  clangor  of  “  wars  and 
rumors  of  wars/7  “ for  ever.”  But  look  up,  0 
world  of  sufferers,  look  up  to  heaven,  and  if 
your  ears  are  attuned  to  its  language,  you  shall 
hear  a  “  still  small  voice/7  yet  one  that  is  every 
day  waxing  louder  and  louder,  and  which  in 
coming  years  shall  speak  in  ail  the  authorita¬ 
tive  thunders  of  divine  omnipotence,  saying, 
“  I  will  break  the  bow ,  and  the  sword ,  and  the  bat¬ 
tle  out  of  the  earth.”  It  is  the  same  voice  which 
once  “  said,  Let  there  be  light ;  and  there  was 
light.77  It  is  enough.  “  Thus  saith  the  Lord/7 
and  we  need  no  other  assurance  that  the  world 
is  to  be  thus  blessed.  “Thus  saith  the  Lord/7 
and  his  promise,  as  it  comes  pealing  with  such 
emphasis  from  the  throne  of  the  universe,  sat¬ 
isfies  every  pious  heart,  and  thrills  us  with  the 
confident  expectation  of  this  wished-for  period. 

The  time  shall  come  wdien  all  men  shall  be 
knit  together  in  one  common  brotherhood ; 
when  no  deed  of  violence  shall  crimson  their 
hands,  and  no  thought  of  enmity  blacken  their 
hearts  ;  when  the  air  of  heaven  shall  no  longer 


280 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


echo  with  the  clash  of  arms  and  the  curses  of 
men  upon  their  fellows,  but  shall  everywhere 
resound  with  the  high  praises  of  Christ,  “our 
peace;’7  when  neither  the  rising  nor  setting 
sun  shall  gleam  upon  bristling  bayonets  and 
dashing  swords,  but  both  shall  everywhere 
smile  upon  bounteous  harvests  and  scenes  of 
peaceful  industry  ;  when  the  Sun  of  righteous¬ 
ness  shall  scatter  the  gross  darkness  of  both 
Christian  and  heathen  lands,  and  suffuse  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  earth  with  its  pure  ra¬ 
diance,  and  “the  work  of  righteousness  shall 
be  peace  when  neighbor  and  neighbor,  family 
and  family,  nation  and  nation,  man  and  man 
shall  be  animated  by  one  and  the  same  princi¬ 
ple,  love  ;  when  every  relation  of  life,  great  or 
small,  and  every  phase  of  human  intercourse, 
limited  or  extended,  shall  be  made  beautiful 
and  holy  and  happy,  because  imbued  with  love  ; 
and  when,  above  all,  every  soul  shall  be  at 
peace  with  God,  in  whom  shall  centre  supreme¬ 
ly  their  united  affections.  That  time  shall 
come,  “for  the  word  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
it;”  and  that  word  assures  us,  “I  the  Lord 
will  hasten  it  in  his  time.”  11  Even  so,  come, 
Lord  Jesus.” 


TEIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


281 


This  promised  period  of  peace  is  not  por¬ 
trayed  in  God’s  word  for  the  mere  purpose  of 
happy  contemplation,  but  in  order  to  impel  us 
to  faithful  efforts  towards  its  realization.  We 
may  not  satisfy  ourselves  with  simply  gazing 
upon  the  goal  at  a  distance,  and  lying  quietly 
upon  our  oars  with  folded  hands  and  half-closed 
eyes,  as  if  some  propitious  breeze  would  waft 
us  lazily  towards  it.  It  will  never  be  reached 
until  men  awake  to  a  sense  of  their  own  obli¬ 
gations  to  labor  and  pray  for  its  attainment. 
We  should  therefore  regard  these  predictions 
rather  as  motives  to  effort,  than  as  excuses  for 
indolence.  Let  us  derive  from  them  new  incen¬ 
tives  of  hope  and  duty. 

1.  As  a  pledge  of  success,  they  should  quicken 
us  to  labor  hopefully.  Do  we  believe  these  prom¬ 
ises  of  the  sacred  word  ?  Do  we  believe  that 
they  are  no  poetic  fictions,  but  truths  of  God  ? 
Then  how  great  is  our  encouragement!  What¬ 
ever  be  the  difficulties  attending  this  work,  we 
descry  beyond  them  all  a  perfect  success.  Men 
may  deride  ;  the  faithless  may  scoff  at  the  idea 
of  so  changing  the  sentiment  of  mankind  ;  gov¬ 
ernments  may  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  our  entreaties 
and  our  reasons  ;  war  may  once  more  envelope 


28‘2 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


the  earth  with  its  baleful  influences,  and  the 
gathering  clouds  of  passion  may  again  seem  to 
blot  out  this  star  of  hope  ;  but  we  need  not  de¬ 
spair.  Faith’s  eye  can  still  discern  that  star, 
beaming  on  brightly  as  ever,  far  beyond  their 
reach.  Satan  may  muster  all  hellish  forces 
against  us,  and  not  lightly  suffer  that  curse  to 
be  abolished  whose  victims  have  so  peopled  his 
infernal  kingdom  ;  but  mightier  is  He  who  is  for 
us,  than  he  who  is  against  us.  The  promise  is 
still  ours,  and  until  he  can  extinguish  our  faith 
in  God,  and  obliterate  those  lines  which  the 
linger  of  God  has  traced,  he  cannot  destroy 
cur  assurance  of  ultimate  success.  We  may 
die  with  the  promise  unfulfilled  ;  whole  genera¬ 
tions  of  Christians  may  achieve  their  portion 
of  the  work,  and  transmit  it  to  those  who  fol¬ 
low  them,  but  there  will  be  no  room  for  de¬ 
spair.  The  issue  of  the  conflict  is  certain. 

“  Truth,  struck  to  earth,  shall  rise  again : 

The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers ; 

While  error,  wounded,  writhes  in  pain, 

And  dies  amid  her  worshippers.” 

With  our  eyes  fixed  upon  the  inevitable  result, 
let  us  press  forward  in  the  path  which  God  has 
marked  out.  We  are  accustomed,  in  toiling  for 


TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


283 


ordinary  blessings,  to  labor  earnestly  for  un¬ 
certain  good.  What  zeal  ought  to  mark  our 
efforts  in  this  cause,  whose  success  is  undoubted  ! 
Let  every  bosom  be  animated  with  unwavering 
hope  ;  and  let  that  hope  be,  amid  the  tempestu¬ 
ous  ravings  of  earthly  or  hellish  fury,  “as  an 
anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  stead  fast.” 

2.  We  may  derive  from  these  promises  a  les¬ 
son  of  our  duty.  Is  peace  and  concord  to  mark 
the  millennium?  Then  it  will  be  so  because 
they  are  men's  duty  ;  and  as  duty  is  the  same 
in  every  age,  those  dispositions  are  equally 
binding  upon  us  now.  Whatever  will  be  right 
in  that  day,  is  right  in  this  ;  and  every  thing 
that  is  now  opposed  to  the  spirit  which  shall 
then  animate  mankind,  is  manifestly  wrong. 
There  can  hardly  be  afforded  a  better  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  practical  bearings  of  the  gospel 
upon  human  intercourse  than  this  fact,  that 
with  the  future  prevalence  of  its  doctrines, 
peace  also  shall  abound.  Instead,  then,  of  con¬ 
forming  our  conduct  to  the  standard  of  the 
world’s  past  history,  which  is  obviously  low 
and  imperfect,  let  us  conform  to  the  lofty  one 
held  out  before  us  in  its  more  perfect  future. 
Or  rather,  let  us  obey  that  gospel  whose  fulfil- 


284 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


ment  will  lie  at  the  foundation  of  every  millen¬ 
nial  blessing.  Let  the  promises  of  the  word 
explain  and  enforce  its  precepts,  and  let  the 
church  feel  that  she  is  best  obeying  its  precepts 
when  she  is  hastening  the  fulfilment  of  its  prom¬ 
ises. 

The  Bible  is  a  full  and  complete  revelation 
of  the  divine  will,  and  affords  us  the  same  rule 
of  right  that  shall  hereafter  unite  all  men  in 
the  “bonds  of  peace.”  There  is  to  be  no  new 
gospel,  and  the  millennium  will  be  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  general  and  close  conformity 
to  the  gospel  we  now  possess.  It  is  only  be¬ 
cause  we  do  not  now  obey  it  as  we  ought,  that 
we  do  not  now  enjoy  its  blessings.  The  glaring 
contrast  that  exists  between  the  world’s  present 
and  future  happiness,  is  a  contrast  between 
present  and  future  views  of,  and  faithfulness  in 
duty.  Can  it  be  questioned  which  of  the  two 
views  is  correct  ?  The  bright  era  to  which  the 
church  looks  so  hopefully  forward,  is  a  per¬ 
petual  rebuke  to  her  present  disobedience. 
The  glowing  prophetic  pictures  which  we  have 
contemplated  will  be  a  standing  reproof  to  the 
church  and  the  world  until  they  shall  be  ful¬ 
filled,  for  they  express  the  standard  of  human 


TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


285 


duty.  Tlien  let  each  individual  behold  in  the 
anticipated  triumph  of  peace,  a  view  of  the 
spirit  and  conduct  now  required  of  him.  Let 
every  nation  discern  in  it  an  imperative  obli¬ 
gation  now  to  conform  to  that  gospel  which 
shall  then  so  happily  regulate  all  national  inter¬ 
course.  As  soon  as  this  is  done  peace  will 
reign,  but  not  before.  As  long  as  men  content 
themselves  with  merely  looking  upon  the  beauti¬ 
ful  goal,  and  forget  that  they  must  themselves 
push  forward  to  it ,  that  goal  will  be  unattained  ; 
and  it  will  be  so,  not  from  any  backwardness 
in  God,  but  as  the  result  of  human  failures  in 
dutv. 

%j 

If  these  views  be  correct,  is  it  not  a  libel 
upon  the  church’s  whole  history  since  the  gos¬ 
pel  was  first  given  her,  that  wars  have  not  long 
ago  ceased  in  Christian  nations?  Shall  we, 
brethren  in  Christ,  still  perpetuate  that  libel? 
Shall  the  sounds  of  battle,  the  shrieks  of  the 
dying,  the  wails  of  perishing  souls,  and  so  many 
other  piteous  accents  of  human  woe  fall  on  our 
ears  unheeded?  Shall  the  voice  of  God,  ad¬ 
dressing  us  from  the  throne  of  his  providence, 
and  by  the  word  of  his  grace — now  in  tones  of 
stern  command,  and  now  in  those  of  sweet  en- 


286 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


couragement — now  by  precept,  and  now  by 
promise — fail  to  affect  us?  With  the  blessing 
before  us,  and  the  gospel  which  is  to  secure  it 
in  our  hands ;  with  heaven’s  power  above  us 
pledged  to  our  assistance  ;  with  human  sorrows 
all  about  us  craving  to  be  relieved ;  and  with 
conscience  within  us  urging  to  our  duty — shall 
not  that  duty  be  fulfilled,  the  means  employed, 
and  the  blessing  gained?  Let  us  arise  in  the 
strength  of  God,  gird  ourselves  for  the  work, 
and  with  uplifted  heads,  and  eyes  upraised  to 
heaven,  resolve  that  the  plague  shall  he  stayed. 
Let  us  become  conscious  of  our  dignity  and 
privilege  as  honored  with  an  embassy  of  love 
to  men,  and  let  nothing  divert  us  from  it.  Let 
us  labor  to  extend  the  pure  leaven  of  gospel 
principles  throughout  the  great  mass  of  hu¬ 
manity,  “  till  the  whole  is  leavened.”  Let  the 
“grain  of  mustard  seed”  even  now  become  “a 
tree,”  extend  its  branches  to  the  light  and  air 
of  heaven,  until  it  overshadows  all  nations, 
and  celestial  messengers  of  love,  like  birds, 
shall  “lodge  in  the  branches  thereof,”  and  its 
leaves  be  “  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.”  So 
shall  the  church,  by  fulfilling  her  appointed 
duty,  embrace  her  promised  destiny.  So  shall 


TRIUMPH  OF  PEACE. 


287 


one  cloud  after  another  be  scattered  before  the 
rays  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  until  it  shall 
shine  with  splendor  in  a  clear  sky,  and  vivify 
every  soul  with  its  light  and  heat  of  universal 
love.  “  Oh,  house  of  Jacob,  come  ye,  and  let  us 
walk  in  the  light  of  the  LordP 


288 


THE  RIGHT  WAV. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

CONCLUDING  APPEAL. 

We  have  now  exhibited  the  Right  Way ,  or 
the  application  of  the  Gospel  to  the  intercourse 
of  individuals  and  nations.  It  only  remains 
that  we  affectionately  appeal  to  the  heart  and 
conscience  of  every  reader  of  this  volume,  thus 
to  apply  that  gospel  to  himself  and  others. 

I.  Let  it  be  your  first  endeavor  to  conform 
your  own  heart  and  life  to  its  dictates.  Consider 
each  of  the  divine  precepts  which  have  met 
your  eye  while  reading  these  pages,  as  pos¬ 
sessed  of  an  equal  claim  to  your  obedience 
with  every  other  command  of  God.  Yiew 
them  as  matters  of  personal  duty  and  personal 
interest.  Turn  your  gaze  within,  and  explore, 
by  the  aid  of  truth’s  clear  light,  the  deepest 
recesses  of  your  soul.  Drag  out  from  their 
lurking  places  every  fiend  of  passion  ;  then  sit 
in  judgment  upon  them,  and  condemn  and  cru¬ 
cify  them  together  with  that  “old  man”  sin, 
whose  offspring  they  are,  and  whose  features 
they  possess.  Are  they  not  enemies  to  your 


CONCLUDING-  APPEAL. 


289 


peace ;  malignant  foes  to  God  and  your  soul ; 
hateful  tyrants  who  silently  forge  within  you 
the  chains  of  a  disgraceful  bondage,  and  seek 
to  enslave  your  deathless  spirit  with  shameful 
fetters?  Then,  in  the  exercise  of  a  Christlike, 
godlike  spirit,  resolve  that  as  far  as  in  you  lies, 
and  as  far  as  divine  grace  shall  aid  you,  you 
will  shake  them  off,  and  no  longer  sin  and 
suffer  from  them.  Transfer  your  hatred,  if 
you  have  any,  from  outward  to  inward  foes. 
Against  them  you  may  be  “angry,  and  sin 
not.77 

Would  you  avoid  contention?  Then  obey 
from  the  heart  that  “royal  law,77  which  will 
forestall  it  with  holy,  tender  sympathies. 
Would  you  convert  your  enemies  into  friends? 
Then  cease  to  befriend  your  passions,  but  treat 
them  as  your  enemies.  Would  you  fulfil  duty, 
and  do  that  which  is  right  towards  God  and 
man  ?  Then  fulfil  the  gospel,  and  exercise  love 
to  God  and  man.  Would  you  be  like  Jesus? 
Then  imitate  him  in  forgiving  and  blessing 
men.  Would  you  be  happy?  Then  foster 
those  kind  dispositions  and  sweet  affections 
whose  absence  is  misery,  but  whose  presence 
is  delight.  Would  you  be  glorious?  Would 

Right  Way.  .  19 


290 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


you  achieve  that  which  is  lofty,  and  ennobling’ 
to  humanity,  and  nearly  allied  to  divinity? 
Then  aspire  to  that  glory  of  the  wise  man — 
which  is  also  the  glory  of  God — “  to  pass  over 
a  transgression.”  Make  Christ  your  pattern, 
and  the  gospel  your  rule  of  duty.  Apply  the 
precepts  of  Jesus  to  every  relation  in  life,  and 
let  them  be,  in  all  your  “  walk  and  conversa¬ 
tion,”  as  a  lamp  to  your  feet  and  a  light  to 
your  path. 

II.  Having  done  your  utmost  to  mould  your 
own  life  and  character  to  these  precepts,  you 
will  feel  it  to  be  your  duty  and  privilege  to 
commend  them  to  others ,  and  lead  them  into  the 
right  way.  Do  this  by  example.  Let  your 
conduct  exert  a  benign  influence  upon  all  who 
witness  it,  and  attest  to  every  beholder  the 
power  and  beauty  of  the  spirit  of  Christ.  So 
exhibit,  in  all  their  attractive  aspect,  the  mild 
graces  of  love,  forgiveness,  and  long-suffering, 
that  they  shall  sweetly  win  upon  every  heart. 
To  these  silent  and  unobtrusive,  yet  eloquent 
pleas  for  peace,  add  frequent,  prayerful,  and 
well-directed  efforts.  Inculcate  it  upon  the 
family  as  the  main-spring  of  its  peculiar  joys. 
Let  its  language  be  made  to  old  and  young 


CONCLUDING  APPEAL. 


291 


“familiar  as  household  words.*1  Teach  it  to 
the  school,  as  a  lesson  never  to  he  unlearned, 
as  an  indispensable  part  of  both  youthful  and 
manly  enjoyment,  and  as  an  important  prepa¬ 
ration  for  active  life.  Urge  it  upon  the  Sab- 
batli-scliolar,  and  imbue  the  opening  minds  of 
the  rising  generation  with  that  lovely  wisdom, 
whose  “ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all 
her  paths  are  peace  ”  Commend  it  to  the  neigh¬ 
bor,  as  the  secret  of  happy  intercourse  with 
those  about  him.  Cultivate  it  in  the  church, 
as  an  imperative  obligation,  and  an  essential 
part  of  its  piety  and  prosperity.  With  a  heart 
alive  to  its  importance,  improve  every  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  pressing  its  claims,  and  exerting  in 
its  favor  all  the  influence  that  God  has  given 
you.  So  shall  you  experience  in  your  own 
peaceful  life,  and  in  the  sublime  consciousness 
of  duty  done  and  good  conferred,  a  fulfilment 
of  the  benediction,  “  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers ; 
for  they  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God.” 

III.  By  the  employment  of  these  and  other 
means,  aim  steadfastly  at  the  goal  of  national 
peace.  Let  your  sympathies  extend  so  widely 
as  to  embrace  the  globe,  and  let  your  views  of 
duty  and  faith  in  God  animate  you  to  every 


292 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


effort  towards  abolishing  the  curse  of  war.  Be 
not  diverted  from  this  aim  bv  the  thought  that 
one  person  can  accomplish  but  little  towards 
securing  it.  Remember  that  all  great  reforms 
must  begin  with  individuals,  and  that  the 
masses  of  the  people  cannot  instantly  be  per¬ 
suaded  to  yield  up  their  deep-rooted  preju¬ 
dices,  but  that  the  change  must  begin  with 
each  one  separately.  We  must  infuse  right 
principles  into  the  lesser  and  more  limited 
relations  of  life ;  and  in  proportion  as  this  is 
done,  their  application  will  become  gradually 
extended,  until  the  same  views  and  feelings 
which  govern  the  family,  the  neighborhood, 
and  the  church,  will  be  found  working  out 
their  glorious  results  in  the  nation  and  through¬ 
out  the  world.  Diffuse,  therefore,  through  all 
the  circle  of  your  influence  the  leaven  of  a 
healthful  sentiment ;  and  remember  that  it  is 
by  God’s  blessing  upon  the  united  efforts,  and 
God’s  answer  to  the  united  prayers  of  many 
such  as  you,  that  war  is  to  be  abolished. 

Perhaps  you  cannot  influence  governments 
and  rulers  ;  but  may  you  not  put  in  motion,  or 
assist  the  means  which  shall  influence  them? 
Perhaps  you  cannot  bring  eloquence  to  bear 


CONCLUDING-  APPEAL. 


293 


upon  this  theme;  but  may  not  your  pen  become 
“  mightier  than  the  sword 77  by  doing  something 
towards  staying  its  ravages?  Or  cannot  you 
exert  an  influence  upon  other  minds,  and  enlist 
them  in  this  work?  Or  cannot  you  contribute 
of  your  substance  towards  disseminating  right 
principles  upon  this  subject  ?  Who  cannot  pray 
for  so  inestimable  a  blessing  ?  Here  is  a  means 
that  is  not  denied  to  any,  and  one  more  effec¬ 
tive  than  tongue,  or  pen,  or  sword.  The  prayer 
of  faith  can  arise  above  the  din  of  battle  and 
the  strife  of  a  world  at  war  with  God  and  with 
itself,  and  its  answer  can  say  to  the  discordant 
elements,  “  Peace  ;  be  stillP  Whatever  else  you 
do  or  leave  undone  in  this  work, il  pray  for  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem,77  and  for  that  of  the  whole 
world.  0  that  the  cry  for  peace  might  go  up 
to  God  from  every  pious  heart  writh  such  effec¬ 
tual  fervor,  that  He  who  heareth  prayer  should 
arise  in  the  might  and  majesty  of  his  omnipo¬ 
tence,  and  “speak  peace  to  the  heathen!77 

1.  We  appeal  to  all  rulers  and  legislators. 
God  has  imposed  upon  you  a  solemn  responsi¬ 
bility,  and  you  cannot  evade  it.  He  has  com¬ 
mitted  to  your  guardianship  the  lives  and  inter¬ 
ests  of  many  of  his  creatures,  and  you  must 


294 


THE  RIGHT-  WAY. 


account  to  him  for  the  manner  in  which  you 
discharge  that  trust.  He  has  placed  in  your 
hands  the  open  Bible,  and  revealed  to  you  his 
will,  which  is  the  only  rule  of  human  right. 
Will  you  recklessly  trample  upon  his  sovereign 
edicts*  despise  his  authority,  and  brave  his 
vengeance?  Will  you,  by  encouraging  or  de¬ 
claring  war,  wreck  the  peace  and  prosperity, 
the  virtue,  the  happiness,  and  the  lives  of  those 
committed  to  your  charge? 

Pause  ere  you  do  it,  and  honestly  consider 
the  end  of  such  a  course.  Look  upon  the  peace¬ 
ful  homes  of  the  nation,  and  ask  whether  yours 
shall  be  the  hand  to  mar  and  blight  them. 
Look  at  its  prosperous  commercial  interests, 
and  ask  whether  your  hand  shall  whelm  them 
in  destruction.  Look  at  our  thronged  sanctu¬ 
aries,  and  all  the  various  influences  of  morality 
and  religion  which  are  the  country’s  safeguard, 
and  ask  whether  your  hand  shall  overthrow 
them,  and  deluge  the  land  with  vice  and  irre- 
ligion.  Look  forward  to  the  judgment-day, 
and  ask  whether  you  shall  be  willing  then  to 
answer  for  the  lives  and  souls  of  thousands. 
Oh,  listen  to  the  voice  of  humanity,  of  patriot¬ 
ism,  and  of  religion,  and  exert  your  power  for 


CONCLUDING-  APPEAL. 


295 


the  good  of  men.  Let  your  voice  be  heard  in 
the  national  councils  echoing  the  growing  sen¬ 
timents  of  Christians  and  philanthropists,  and 
demanding  that  war  shall  be  no  more.  So, 
whether  successful  or  not,  vour  hands  shall  be 
free  from  blood,  and  your  name  transmitted 
with  honor  to  posterity. 

2.  We  appeal  to  all  citizens.  Upon  you 
especially  devolves  this  work,  for  you  are  in 
this  land  the  real  sovereigns.  It  is  your  voices 
which  sway  the  national  councils,  and  your 
minds  which  resolve  upon  national  conduct. 
You  have  the  power,  citizens  of  America,  to 
stay  the  plague  of  war,  if  you  have  the  will. 
It  is  for  you  to  speak  the  word,  and  peace  shall 
be  made  the  law  of  the  nation,  and  secured  to 
yourselves  and  your  posterity.  We  therefore 
ask  you  seriously  to  contemplate  the  blessings 
which  may  thus  be  perpetuated,  and  the  curse 
which  may  thus  be  banished  —  the  national 
glory  and  prosperity  to  be  thus  gained,  and  the 
shame  and  disaster  to  be  thus  avoided.  Survey 
your  smiling  fields — your  thriving  commerce 
and  manufactures — your  schools,  colleges,  and 
churches — your  homes  and  firesides :  let  the 
view  of  these  impel  you  to  the  employment  of 


296 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


those  means,  and  the  utterance  of  that  voice, 
which  shall  abolish  this  bane  of  civil,  social,  and 
domestic  life.  As  you  love  your  country,  and 
would  secure  its  real  and  lasting  welfare,  let 
peace,  more  potent  than  armies  or  navies,  sur¬ 
round  the  nation  with  its  perpetual  bulwark  of 
defence ! 

3.  We  appeal  to  all  philanthropists.  Has  not 
this  moral  plague  long  enough  blighted  our 
earth,  and  withered  human  joys?  Is  it  not 
time  that  heaven's  own  antidote  be  applied  to 
it?  Oh,  then,  heed  the  cries  and  groans  of  so 
many  of  your  fellow-creatures  j  be  moved  by 
the  tears  of  widows  and  orphans ;  listen  to  the 
appeals  of  suffering,  outraged  humanity  ;  and 
then,  your  heart  full  of  pitying  emotion  and 
your  mind  resolute  with  holy  purposes,  spare 
no  effort  to  redeem  men  from  this  plague ! 

4.  We  appeal  to  the  young.  We  turn  with 
peculiar  pleasure  and  strong  hope  to  the  rising 
generation,  and  would  enlist  their  active  labors 
in  this  work.  Make  the  principles  of  the  gos¬ 
pel  your  rule  of  life,  and  begin  early  to  practise 
and  commend  them.  They  will  prove  to  you 
the  surest  means  of  success  and  happiness,  and 
go  far  towards  rendering  your  path  upon  earth 


CONCLUDING-  APPEAL. 


297 


that  smooth  and  flowery  one  which  youth  al¬ 
ways  dreams  it  may  be.  It  is  only  by  fervently 
loving  God  and  your  race,  that  you  can  extract 
from  life  its  choicest  sweets.  To  you  we  espe¬ 
cially  look  for  zealous  efforts  in  behalf  of  na¬ 
tional  peace ,  for  your  minds  are  comparatively 
unprejudiced  and  open  to  the  conviction  of  its 
necessity,  and  your  hearts  and  hands  are  strong 
to  resolve  and  act  upon  that  conviction.  Let 
this  cause  take  deep  hold  upon  your  inmost 
sympathies.  Youth  of  America,  can  you  desire 
a  loftier  honor,  or  can  you  better  prove  your 
patriotism,  and  signalize  yourselves  as  benefac¬ 
tors  of  mankind  and  as  Christians ,  than  by  an 
earnest  devotedness  to  this  work?  Would  that 
you  might  be  the  favored  ones  to  whom  it  shall 
be  given  to  introduce  the  reign  of  universal 
peace !  Such,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe, 
you  may  become  if  you  will :  and  God  will 
assuredly  smile  upon  your  efforts,  and  make 
glorious  and  blessed  the  generation  of  peace¬ 
makers. 

5.  We  appeal  to  women.  If  any  are  inter¬ 
ested  in  this  cause,  you  are;  for  upon  you  have 
fallen  many  of  the  chief  evils  of  war.  Then 
exert  wisely  your  influence  in  favor  of  peace. 


298 


THE  R.IG-HT  WAY. 


If  you  would  not  have  your  homes  made  deso¬ 
late,  and  your  hearts  torn  with  keenest  pangs  ; 
if  you  would  not  have  earth's  fondest  ties  cru- 

V 

elly  rent  asunder,  and  your  lives  clouded  with 
heaviest  griefs — enlist  in  this  work  something 
of  that  zeal  and  enthusiasm  which  characterize 
so  many  of  your  benevolent  enterprises.  By 
example,  by  persuasion,  by  entreaty,  seek  to 
influence  the  minds  about  you  in  its  favor. 
Urge  it  upon  fathers,  husbands,  sons,  and  broth¬ 
ers.  Mould  the  infant  minds  intrusted  to  you 
with  a  hatred  of  every  form  of  strife.  Care¬ 
fully  banish  from  their  youthful  sports  the  toys 
and  pictures  of  war ;  and  among  their  earliest 
and  most  indelible  impressions,  let  there  be, 
not  that  admiration  of  martial  dress  and  ex¬ 
ploits  which  so  often  poisons  their  minds,  but 
a  deep,  unalterable  abhorrence  of  every  thing 
pertaining  to  this  horrid  crime.  This  is  a 
cause  which  well  becomes  you.  It  sits  most 
gracefully  upon  the  female  character,  affording 
that  loveliest  of  ornaments,  which,  we  are  told, 
“  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price,”  “  even 
the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit.” 

6.  We  appeal  to  all  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
Upon  you  devolves  the  duty  and  the  glorious 


CONCLUDING  APPEAL. 


299 


privilege  of  bearing  God’s  messages  to  human 
hearts.  “Embassadors  for  Christ,”  your  em¬ 
bassy  is  one  of  peace.  The  very  terms  of  your 
commission  imply  it ;  for  how  can  you  faithfully 
“preach  the  gospel,”  without  publishing  abroad 
those  great  duties  which,  as  has  been  shown, 
the  gospel  so  strongly  inculcates  ?  It  is  a  safe 
rule  to  guide  the  preacher  in  the  selection  of 
his  themes,  and  in  judging  of  the  prominence 
to  be  given  to  particular  subjects,  to  notice  the 
frequency  and  extent  to  which  they  are  insisted 
upon  in  the  Bible.  The  word  is  a  complete 
system,  and  gives  to  each  truth  its  proper  emi¬ 
nence  and  comparative  importance.  It  is  ar¬ 
ranged  with  such  symmetry,  that  it  is  as  perfect 
as  a  whole  as  it  is  in  each  separate  part.  They 
who  would  reproduce  the  edifice  in  others,  must 
observe  the  same  harmony  of  proportions ;  and 
not  only  “  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God,” 
but  assign  to  each  portion  of  it  that  prominence 
which  God  has  given  it. 

If  this  view  be  correct,  has  not  one  great 
feature  of  the  religion  of  Christ  been  kept 
much  in  the  background  ?  The  precepts  relat¬ 
ing  to  human  intercourse  were  deemed  by  our 
Lord  of  sufficient  importance  to  claim  frequent 


300 


THE  RIGHT  WAY. 


and  earnest  reiteration.  They  are  no  less  so 
at  this  clay,  and  should  be  often  studied  and 
enforced  by  the  gospel  preacher.  Had  the  time 
that  has  been  spent  in  pulpit  discussions  of  far 
less  moment,  and  in  frivolous  and  sometimes 
bitter  controversies,  been  devoted  to  the  preach¬ 
ing  of  the  duties  under  consideration,  not  only 
would  much  dissension  and  ill-feeling  have  been 
avoided,  but  there  would  probably  have  been 
no  need,  at  this  late  day,  of  efforts  to  abolish 
war,  for  it  would  have  ceased. 

Oh,  then,  watchmen  of  Zion,  “  hear  the  word 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Lord,”  and  sound  the  gos¬ 
pel  trumpet  in  the  ears  of  men.  Now,  in  the 
soft  music  of  persuasive  invitation,  let  it  breathe 
forth  the  law  of  love.  Now,  in  appalling  thun¬ 
ders,  let  it  denounce  all  “  bitterness,  wrath,  and 
envying.”  Proclaim  from  your  thousands  of 
pulpits  the  blessedness  of  the  meek,  the  merci¬ 
ful,  and  the  peacemakers.  It  is  a  fit  theme  for 
sacred  eloquence,  and  may  well  inspire  its  lofti¬ 
est  efforts.  As  you  exhort  to  peace  with  God, 
commend  peace  with  one  another.  Exhibit, 
in  their  place,  these  beautiful  requirements  of 
Christianity ;  and  let  them  commend  to  many 
souls  the  religion  that  teaches  them,  and  lead 


CONCLUDING-  APPEAL. 


301 


the  church  and  the  world  better  to  estimate 
and  practise  them.  So  shall  the  song  be  echoed 
by  many  hearts,  led  by  you  into  paths  of  peace, 
“How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the 
feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings — that 
p  ublisheth  peace . 1 7 

7.  We  appeal  to  all  Christians .  Ho  you  be¬ 
lieve  that  the  precepts  which  form  the  basis  of 
this  work  are  the  precepts  of  Christ?  Then 
we  need  urge  no  other  plea  to  remind  you  of 
your  duty.  Will  you  not  obey  that  voice  of 
Jesus  which  has  addressed  you?  Let  the 
sounds  of  contention  in  which  it  has  been  al¬ 
most  drowned  for  centuries,  only  add  to  its 
emphasis,  and  clothe  it  with  redoubled  thun¬ 
ders  of  command,  and  yet  more  pleading  ac¬ 
cents  of  entreaty.  Embrace  with  joy  and  grat¬ 
itude  the  law  of  love,  and  let  your  inmost  soul 
become  imbued  with  its  sweet  influences.  Then 
seek  to  apply  it  to  the  community,  the  church, 
the  nation,  and  the  world.  Put  forth  your 
hand  to  the  work  of  abolishing  war.  In  pro¬ 
portion  as  you  labor  and  pray  for  that  consum¬ 
mation,  you  will  obey  an  important  part  of  the 
gospel,  foster  religion  and  morality,  and  hasten 
the  millennial  glory.  Wield  diligently  those 


302 


THE  RIG-HT  WAY. 


forces  which  God  has  placed  at  your  command, 
and  which  only  Christians  can  adequately  em¬ 
ploy.  Labor  with  untiring  diligence.  “ Pray 
without  ceasing.”  Pour  into  the  ears  of  God 
and  man  your  pleas  and  your  entreaties.  Hear 
the  mingled  groans  of  the  wounded  and  dying, 
and  the  sighs  of  the  widow  and  the  fatherless, 
and  let  them  quicken  you  to  effort.  See  the 
countless  and  gigantic  iniquities  of  this  accurs¬ 
ed  system.  Think  of  the  eternal  writliings  of 
the  souls  whom  it  destroys.  Hear,  added  to 
voices  that  plead  from  earth  and  wail  from 
hell,  the  tones  of  Jehovah’s  plain  commands. 
Let  them  awaken  every  energy  to  the  task  of 
an  unquestioning  obedience.  See  that  bow  of 
promise  which  spans  the  centuries  of  darkness, 
and  assures  you  that  the  deluge  of  human  blood 
shall  one  day  cease  to  flow,  and  the  nations 
“  not  learn  war  any  more.”  Let  it  incite  you 
to  hope  and  duty. 

As  you  would  be  happy  ;  as  you  would  pro¬ 
mote  the  sum  of  human  bliss,  and  prevent  much 
human  woe  ;  as  you  would  remove  a  mighty 
stumbling-block  from  the  path  of  religious 
progress,  and  “  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord  ” 
for  his  peaceful  kingdom — 0,  Christian,  cease 


CONCLUDING-  APPEAL. 


303 


not  to  toil  and  pray  in  this  work !  All  heaven 
calls  out  to  you — earth  pleads — hell  warns! 
The  interests  of  humanity,  truth,  justice,  and 
religion — the  hopes  of  those  that  are  ready  to 
perish — all  that  is  dear  to  pious  souls — all  that 
is  lovely  and  glowing*  in  the  world’s  future  des¬ 
tiny — plead  with  you,  Christian,  to  engage  ear¬ 
nestly  in  this  work ! 

Let  the  pleas  of  duty  and  interest,  of  God 
and  man,  be  heeded.  Let  the  church  exert 
her  power,  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  wipe 
away  this  reproach  and  this  guilt  from  the  face 
of  Christendom.  So  shall  that  angels’  song, 
which  was  sung  at  the  birth  of  Jesus,  after 
having  been  drowned  for  centuries  in  the  harsh 
clamors  of  human  strife,  be  again  heard  and 
echoed  by  every  heart :  “  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest ;  on  earth  peace,  good-will  towards  men.” 


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